Love Hina - Kyoshiro no Tenchuu
by cipherknight
Summary: Before he was a Tokyo U aspirant, he was the Japanese Imperial Tournament champion. Before he became a landlord, he was the orphaned heir to a brutally massacred clan. Before he was Keitaro Urashima, he was Kyoshiro Mononobe. For his family's murder, he has sworn the worst vengeance...Tenchuu. First fanfic. Rated M for explicit content, Pairings TBD
1. Prologue

_**Prologue: It was meant to bring peace…**_

_Sengoku Jidai. A time of great change, of great upheaval…and of even greater violence. For almost two centuries, the nation of Japan caught within the intense turmoil amongst the many powerful clans throughout the country; some rose to great heights, while others fell. Near the end of this period, after the death of the powerful Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ascended to claim his late liege lord's many lands and continue his mission of unifying the nation. Allied to him was the Tachibana clan, a family of assassins and medical geniuses renowned for their abilities in stealth and medicine/poisons. All throughout Hideyoshi's rule, from 1587 to 1598, the Tachibana acted as the guardians and protectors of the Toyotomi clan, and enjoyed fame and royalties the likes of which few would ever know. They were also greatly feared, due to the bloodthirsty nature of their clansmen… A fear that was cemented when a few of the more prominent members of the Tachibana participated in the infamous crucifixion of the twenty-six Christians. It was an act that would forever associate the Tachibana with relentless bloodshed and cruelty._

_Eventually, the Toyotomi fell from power, with Hideyoshi's failed attempts to invade Korea and China leaving his clan and the clans under him with severely depleted funds and a terribly weakened military position. After his death in 1598, the Toyotomi clan leadership passed to Hideyoshi's son, Hideyori. However, Hideyoshi's Council of Five began arguing amongst themselves regarding who had a claim to more power. The Tachibana, who were charged with Hideyori's care, did their best to continue safeguarding the young heir during this uprising. Ieyasu Tokugawa, one of the five elders, eventually emerged as a powerful threat to the Toyotomi's continued rule. Allied under him were several fearsome clans, including the vaunted Urashima clan, and the infantile Mononobe clan, a branch of the Urashima. The Urashima were well known in the political circles of feudal Japan for many years, and the Mononobe were said to be powerful warriors known for their arms forging and nigh-unsurpassable swordsmanship abilities._

_Throughout the conflict, the Tachibana and Mononobe fought many battles in the name of their liege lords. The rivalry developed between the two was fierce, and as Ieyasu claimed more and more victories, the Tachibana grew ever more desperate to destroy the Mononobe, who were the backbone of Ieyasu's forces. The bloody campaign came to a head on 16 October, 1600: The Battle of Sekigahara. Refusing to acknowledge the true abilities of their rivals, the Tachibana stormed the battlefield, completely assured of their victory. Their cockiness would be their undoing, as the Mononobe's fighting ability and tactical expertise gave them the advantage they needed to crush the numerically superior Tachibana. Tokugawa's victory at Sekigahara paved the way for his shogunate, and upon consolidating his power, he rewarded the Mononobe by bestowing them with the appointment of Guardians of the Shogunate, a position previously held by the Tachibana under the Toyotomi's rule. The Urashima clan were also rewarded by becoming Tokugawa's political councilors. While the Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Edo Period, was a time of peace, behind the scenes a war still raged. Infuriated by their fall from grace, the Tachibana began a blood feud with the Mononobe that endured for centuries. The Urashima clan tried to act as mediatiors, however the tenacity of the Tachibana rendered all attempts at making peace useless._

_It was not until the end of the Edo period that the feuding clans were forced to place their personal war on hold. In the 1860s, the Urashima clan observed the declining state of the shogunate, and slowly began distancing themselves from the Tokugawa clan. By the beginning of the Boshin War, the Urashima were an entity of significant political prestige and power, and upon bringing the Mononobe back into their fold, were able to cut all ties between themselves and the Tokugawa,. When war broke out, the Urashima accomplished the impossible: they brokered an extremely flimsy, unstable truce between the Mononobe and Tachibana, in order to have them work together on the side of those who wished to restore power to the imperial court. Both clans forwarded their best warriors, assassins, forgers, and medicine makers to serve the imperial cause. By the end of the war in 1869, the Tachibana and Mononobe clans had earned many accolades, but with the imperial court victorious and Emperor Meiji restored to power, tensions skyrocketed between the old enemies, and many feared that the ancient blood feud would be rekindled. _

_Having been impressed by the cunning nature of the Tachibana, and the legendary skill of the Mononobe, Emperor Meiji came up with a solution to the danger of a revived shadow war: On November 14, 1870, he wrote a decree for an Imperial Tournament be held between the two clans, with the Urashima and another ancient clan, the Aoyama, acting alongside the Emperor himself as judges. The two clans would put forth their best swordsmen, who would compete in tournament style battle. The clan with the most victors would be given the honor of the title "Imperial Guardians" for the next 10 years. The emperor then had the current head of the Urashima, Mononobe, Aoyama, and Tachibana clans sign their names in blood, before declaring the decree to be everlasting until the end of time by placing not only his imperial seal, but his own signature in blood._

_The signing of the decree became known as the unofficial end to the blood feud that had plagued the Mononobe and Tachibana clans for centuries since the Sengoku, and for decades, the Decennial Imperial Tournament became a beloved tradition of the imperial court. However, despite outward appearances not all was well between the two clans at all…for old wounds seldom fade, and bad blood is never forgotten…_


	2. Birth of Tenchuu

**Disclaimer - I don't own Love Hina. That's all Ken Akamatsu.******_  
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**Chapter I – The Birth of Tenchū**

It was a beautiful, crisp fall day in the nation of Japan, with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see, and a gentle heat coming from the midday sun. The leaves had begun to change colors, sporting luscious reds, yellows, and oranges in an elegant, breathtaking portrait of nature's own creation. In the streets of Tokyo, the people hustled and bustled towards their destination for the day. As it was a Saturday, most were heading to begin their weekend plans, chatting with friends at cafes, shopping at malls, and so on. In the air was a tranquil buzz that would uplift anyone's spirits, and just make the day that much more peaceful and enjoyable.

It was the quintessential perfect day…

"HAJIME!"

…the perfect day for the Decennial Imperial Tournament, held in the vast courtyard of the Chowaden Reception Hall within the confines of the Imperial Palace. Vibrant banners and streamers waved fiercely in the wind, as the crowd of dignitaries and heads of ancient noble clans roared and cheered at the matches currently underway. From behind the bulletproof glass of the veranda, the imperial family sat and watched the festivities. The emperor, resplendent in a crisp white suit, displaying the perfect example of royal poise and dignity as he sat straight, his wife and empress next to him, dressed in an elegant red-silk kimono tied closed with a purple obi, her hair done up in an elaborate bun and only slight traces of makeup on her face, emphasizing her natural beauty. Their children, the crown prince and the princess, were also dressed in their best kimonos, however rather than the stoic, serene image their parents assumed, the bubbly and cheerful youngsters were bouncing in their seats, nearly toppling out of them in excitement as they cheered on their favorite swordsmen competing before them.

Placed in the middle of the courtyard was an upraised circular ring, only a couple of feet high and several meters in diameter. Preserved from ancient times, this ring was the ceremonial battleground used by the competing swordsman to wage honorable one-on-one combat. Although worn by age and exposure to the elements, the combat ring still fulfilled its purpose faithfully to this day. To the left of the ring, the Mononobe clan stood by in their camp, eyes glued to either the ring during combat, or the emperor and judges as they declared the winners. The clan's flags dotted their side of the field, showcasing the dark blue and white colors of their house. On the opposite side of the ring, the Tachibana clan also stood at attention amongst the black and yellow flags of their house, eyes fixed to the ring or emperor's booth, but every now and then, a few shot fierce glares and dirty looks towards the Mononobe side, looks that went unnoticed or ignored by their rivals.

The battles had waged fiercely and without pause for the majority of the day, but now, as the emperor rose from his throne and motioned towards his two judges to come towards him, the air above the courtyard seemed to still in anticipation, and time itself appeared to hold its breath as it waited for the emperor to speak.

"My warriors! My countrymen! Today, you have graced these eyes of us all with your displays of ability, skill, tenacity, and grit," began the emperor, his powerful voice echoing across the yard, "your battles have been exemplary, your representatives honorable, and your desire to win…inspirational."

He looked out across the field, his warm hazel eyes taking in every face, before lingering on two families in particular, "Now…the contest to determine which clan will claim the title of honored Imperial Guardians for the next decade is nearly at an end. It is time for the final battle of the tournament to begin!"

A raucous cheer rose from the assembled crowds, as fellow clansmen clapped each other on the back and roared in excitement at the ring before them. In the Mononobe camp, many of the clan members hugged and shook hands with one of their own, a young man no older than 14, as he made his way through the crowd and stepped up to where a group of three people awaited him. His long, spiky black hair tied in a simple ponytail waved gently from side to side as he walked on, his sharp brown eyes focused and determined. Dressed in a flowing white gi with metal shoulder pauldrons, a dark blue hakama, and simple wooden sandals and socks, he was the spitting image of an honorable apprentice samurai as he finally reached the individuals standing near the edge of the ring.

"Father, Mother," the boy began in a soft voice, falling to one knee before them and bowing his head to show deference.

His father, a tall, lean structured man with short, spiky black hair who shared the same sharp brown eyes as his son, walked forward and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Rise Kyoshiro, there's no need to stand on ceremony with me. Save it for the emperor, ok?" he laughed as he helped his son to rise.

Once he got back to his feet, Kyoshiro was surprised with a hug from the smallest member of the group, a girl of about 10 years of age with long, straight black hair that went down to her waist, vivid light brown eyes, and dressed in a white kimono with cherry blossom petals sewn in an elaborate design.

"Kyo-nii!"

The young warrior grinned wide as he embraced his little sister, "Saya-chan! What'd I tell ya about glomping me in front of the others!" he tried to sound stern, but he couldn't keep the mirth out of his voice. It was hard to be mad at the adorable young girl.

"Now, now Saya-chan, you have to act more dignified in front of the Imperial family," the soft voice of the children's mother interrupted as she walked towards her offspring. She was a tall, demure woman who stood only about a few inches short of her husband, with a heart-shaped face and short dark brown cut in a pixie style, along with vibrant blue eyes. She was also elegantly dressed in a formal blue kimono with white rose petal designs sewn into the fabric. When she reached her son and daughter, she embraced them both, a gesture returned by Kyoshiro.

"Awww! I just wanted to wish Kyo-nii good luck and tell'im to kick the other guy's butt in the match!" Saya whined as she pulled back from her mother and latched herself onto her brother's arm, clearly not ready to send him off just yet.

"I know you did sis, and thanks," Kyoshiro gently rubbed his hand in Saya's hair, messing it up slightly. The rambunctious little girl didn't seem to mind in the slightest, only holding her brother's arm closer to her.

"Kyoshiro, we have to go present ourselves to the emperor and the judges for the match," his father called. Waving one last time to his mother and sister, the apprentice samurai walked with his father to the front of the veranda. From their position, they noticed a small group of women standing outside in front of the glass windows of the veranda.

One was a short, wizened looking elderly woman, with silver hair tied in a bun, slightly tanned skin with few wrinkles, and squinted eyes full of warmth and mischief. She wore a nondescript red kimono under a large orange haori and geta sandals. Standing next to her was a taller woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, with short brown hair and long bangs that framed her pale face, and aloof, but friendly brown eyes. She wore black slacks and a tight black turtleneck shirt, covered by a long beige trench coat, and black dress shoes. A half-finished cigarette hung lazily from her full lips.

The last two women appeared to be sisters, as they dressed in the same white gi and crimson hakama and sandals. Both had flowing raven-black hair that reached to their backsides, pale skin that shined in the afternoon sun, and dark grey eyes, although the older sister's eyes held power within them, along with a hint of playfulness, while the younger sister's held more caution and a hint of shyness. They could have been twins if not for the fact that the older woman reached Kyoshiro's father's height, while her sibling was a head shorter than Kyoshiro.

"Father, you didn't tell me THEY'D be here," Kyoshiro said as he gestured to the group of women gathered at the veranda. His father laughed and patted his son on the back, "Of course I didn't, I wanted it to be a surprise. You've trained with them for quite a while, so it's only natural they'd come and watch your debut bout."

Catching a few words of the exchange, the older of the raven haired sisters gave the young swordsman a playful look, "Aww, you sound like you didn't want us to be here, Kyoshiro-kun! And after we came all this way to see your big fight," she placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head dramatically, earning a tick-mark on Kyoshiro's head and a sigh from her younger sister.

"Tsuruko-neesama, stop picking on Kyoshiro-sempai."

"Oh, don't be like that Motoko-han," Tsuruko chided as she patted her sister on the head, "I'm just greeting our young crash dummy-kun!"

Kyoshiro took a breath to calm himself before addressing the women before him, "It's good to see you, Urashima-sama, Haruka-san, Tsuruko-sempai," he turned and gave the youngest of the group a big smile, "and especially you Motoko-chan! Hope sempai hasn't been giving you too much trouble at the dojo!"

Motoko's face glowed red before she answered back, "N-no Sempai, she hasn't been giving me trouble at all. I've gotten much better under her tutelage, and soon I'll be able to begin learning ki-techniques!" she said proudly.

While the children were speaking, Kyoshiro's father exchanged greetings with the other two women in the group, "Hina-sama, it's been quite a while. And Haruka-chan, you're looking well!"

The old woman laughed as she walked and gently embraced the taller man, "You and Sakuya are looking pretty good yourselves, Kazuya-kun! I'm surprised you haven't started springing up silver hairs from dealing with those lovely little rascals of yours!"

"Layoff him, granny Hina," Haruka sighed but stepped forward to hug Kazuya after Hina pulled away, "It's good to see you too, Kazuya-san."

"Hina has a point though, those students can be a handful," Kazuya laughed boisterously before his gaze lingered on his son, still lightly chatting with Tsuruko and Motoko, "but they're certainly worth the effort. Kyoshiro especially has worked extremely hard. He's a quicker learner than I was at that age!"

"So I've seen from his sparring," Haruka smiled gently in nostalgia, remembering her few, but fierce matches with the young heir. Each time, he seemed to improve in leaps and bounds.

"Oooh, I'm so excited! I can't wait to see what little Kyoshiro has in store for us today!" Hina beamed as she bounced on her feet, hardly able to wait for the match any longer.

"Don't expect too much from him…it will be _my_ son who takes the victory here."

The three turned to face the deep voice that had interrupted their conversation. A short distance away, a tall, muscular man with untidy dark brown hair and intimidating yellow eyes walked towards the veranda, accompanied by a young boy with blood-red hair and yellow eyes that were almost feline in nature. Both wore black gi, burnt yellow hakama, sandals, and red scarves around their necks. They also had cocky smirks on their faces that irritated Kazuya and earned annoyed glances from Hina and Haruka.

"You took your sweet time to get here, Heihachi…Kurotora," one could not miss the venom in Kazuya's voice as he glared at the newcomers. Heihachi's eyes turned cold as he stared at his hated rival.

"Your clan has held victory over mine for long enough, Mononobe," the Tachibana clan head spat as he gripped his son's shoulder, "the pride of the Tachibana will see an end to your winning streak."

Kyoshiro, finally taking notice of the newly arrived Tachibana, walked over and stood before his father, taking up his look of cold apathy as he took in his opponent. Kurotora met his stare with a look of cocky indifference, as if Kyoshiro were beneath his notice.

"I hope you didn't come here thinking you'd win, little Kyo," Kurotora taunted, smirking when Kyoshiro's face tightened, "you should run home to your fellow mongrels and save yourself the embarrassment."

Kyoshiro turned his head up to look at his father, "Hey Dad, did you hear something? It sounded like a small, whiny voice in the wind."

Picking up on his son's game, Kazuya decided to play along, "I think I may have heard something similar Kyo, but it could just be the wind playing tricks on you."

"That's what I thought," Kyoshiro smiled and turned back to face Kurotora, his smile turning into a full-blown grin at the look of fury on his rival's face. Kazuya also grinned viciously at Heihachi's seething expression.

Before the banter could continue, the sound of someone clearing his throat brought everyone's attention to the emperor, who looked down at the feuding pairs with mirth. "I believe you should save that energy for the tournament, young ones."

Having the decency to look ashamed, the boys knelt before the emperor and bowed their heads, "My apologies for my abhorrent behavior, my lord. My intent wasn't to be shameful in your presence," they said simultaneously.

The emperor waved off their apologies, "It's quite alright. I remember what it was like to be young and full of energy…I'm not THAT old yet," he chuckled before continuing, "Anyway, may I present the two judges who will be presiding over your match."

He gestured to Hina and Tsuruko, and both stepped forward to face the assembled combatants, "First, Hina Urashima, my most trusted advisor and head of the Urashima clan."

"I want a fair, fierce fight between the two of you young lads, understand?" Hina asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Remember that you both bear the honor of your clans as representative fighters, so don't do anything to dishonor your people."

The boys nodded their affirmation before bowing to the elderly Urashima. The emperor then motioned towards Tsuruko, "Your second judge will be Tsuruko Aoyama, head of the Aoyama clan and current master of the Shinmei-ryu."

"I too wish to see a well fought, clean match between you two," Tsuruko addressed the two serenely, "You are both the pride of your clans, heads of the next generation. Do well to remember that as you engage in combat."

As with the Urashima clan head, Kyoshiro and Kurotora both nodded and bowed to their second judge, before turning to face the emperor.

"The judges have been introduced, and their final words of wisdom spoken. Now, Kyoshiro Mononobe, and Kurotora Tachibana, take your place in the ring!"

A loud cheer rose from the assembled clans as Kazuya and Heihachi escorted their sons to the ring. While Kurotora basked in the praise and walked with an arrogant hitch in his step, Kyoshiro tuned it out, focusing only on the ring and his father's hand on his shoulder as he led him to the steps beside the ring.

"Just remember all that I've taught you Kyo," he whispered as they came closer to the ring, "You know all you need to achieve victory and bring the Mononobe the title again."

"I won't let you and the others down Father," Kyoshiro pledged as he took a breath to steel himself for the match, "I know what's at stake here. I won't let that Tachibana bastard take what's ours!"

Kazuya gripped his son's shoulder tightly, causing the young boy to look up at him confusedly, "Don't make this battle about the feud between our clans Kyoshiro. The past will only weigh you down and diminish your ability. Once you're in that ring, it's just you and your opponent. Nothing else. Any distractions could cost you the match," he gave his son the most reassuring smile he could as he finished, "clear your mind, calm your heart, and battle as best you can. No matter the outcome, I'll be proud of you if you fight your hardest."

Kyoshiro took in his father's words, before gracing him with a small smile, "I understand, Dad. I'll do my best!"

On the opposite side of the ring, Heihachi was having a similar conversation with Kurotora, "This is the moment we've all been training you for, Kurotora. We've been under the heel of those wretched Mononobe for five decades! You will be the one to put an end to that legacy of shame in our clan!"

Kurotora gave his father a vicious grin, "Don't worry Father, by the time I'm done, those pathetic warriors'll be so traumatized by the beatdown I hand to little Kyo that they'll never rise against their betters again! I'll show em what a TRUE elite samurai can do!"

Heihachi grinned evilly to his son, "That's what I want to hear. Now back your words with action, and utterly DESTROY Kyoshiro Mononobe! Failure will NOT be tolerated!"

Kurotora gave one last nod to his father before he ascended the steps to the ring. Upon reaching the top, he was met by one of two refs. Both were dressed in traditional white gi, black hakama, and sandals, and armed with two live katana, in the event a duel got out of hand. Each one held out a long case to Kurotora and Kyoshiro, after the latter had also reached the top of the ring. The two opponents opened their box, revealing a brand new iaito, or practice katana with a dulled blade. Lifting the iaitos from the box, both Kyoshiro and Kurotora drew them from their sheaths, and inspected the blades for any signs of failure. Pleased by what they saw, the two re-sheathed their blades and secured them to their waists on their belts. The refs then placed the boxes on the outer rim of the ring and walked toward the middle.

"Both combatants have received and inspected their weapons. No complaints have been raised," the judges spoke simultaneously, their synchronized voices gripped the waiting crowd, "The rules of this bout are as follows: competitors will do battle until one of them is either disarmed, or rendered incapable of continuing. All shots to the head are declared illegal, and will result in immediate disqualification. Combatants, draw your blades."

The two boys complied and faced one another from opposite sides of the ring, slowly drawing their blades before them and pointing the edge at their opponent. The roar of the crowd picked up and the ceremonial drummers began to beat their instruments faster upon seeing the young heirs preparing for battle.

"By your leave, emperor," the refs then looked to the veranda, where the emperor stood and raised a single hand in the air. The drums and crowd went quiet, and even the wind paused as everyone's attention was on the imperial ruler. Looking towards the ring, the emperor met eyes with Kyoshiro, then Kurotora, before swiftly bringing his arm down and facing his palm towards the ring, "HAJIME!"

The two combatants looked to each other, eyes narrowed and grips tightened on their blades. Kurotora chose then to speak, "You should've taken the generous offer I gave you to run and saved yourself. Now you'll bleed!"

Kyoshiro refused to rise to his rival's taunt, choosing to calm his breathing and focus on his opponent's stance. The Tachibana heir took his opponent's silence for fear, and grinned like a wild beast about to pounce on its prey, "Well, if you're just gonna stand there and take your beating, suits me just fine. I'll make it quick!" he yelled before dashing towards Kyoshiro with blinding speed.

The Mononobe heir counted a few seconds in his head before also running towards his incoming rival, iaito poised to strike. Time slowed to a crawl as the two rushed forward, tuning everything around them and bringing their blades to the fore to meet in the middle of the ring in a powerful clash.

Kyoshiro pushed hard against Kurotora's blade, trying to best him with pure strength, but Kurotora used his force against him and slid back and off to the side, forcing Kyoshiro forward and leaving him open. However, Kyoshiro was ready and quickly brought his iaito to guard against Kurotora's strike. Undeterred, Kurotora pushed with his assault, blitzing Kyoshiro with a flurry of slashes and stabs, all of which were parried or blocked.

"So defensive! What's the matter coward, afraid to fight back?!" Kurotora taunted as he launched a particularly strong strike to Kyoshiro's ribs. Although he was able to block the stroke, sheer force of it threw the Mononobe heir back towards the edge of the ring. While his clan looked on worriedly, the Tachibana cheered for their chosen representative and jeered at their hated rival clan.

Kyoshiro took a moment to gather himself up as he glared across at his opponent, _'His form is near-perfect…and he adds a lot of power to his strikes despite being so swift. Talk about troublesome'_ he thought as he assessed what he'd seen of Kurotora's ability so far. Deciding to test his defenses, Kyoshiro brought his blade up and rushed forward to engage Kurotora again. Seeing his opponent's dash, the Tachibana heir raised his blade and prepared to counter. Kyoshiro began with a mild flurry of strikes that were easily blocked, however when Kurotora let his guard down, Kyoshiro went in with a feint to the left before quickly curving his strike upward, shattering Kurotora's guard. The shocked look on the Tachibana's face amused Kyoshiro to no end.

"Y-you bastard!" Kurotora shouted before backpedaling to escape and regroup, but Kyoshiro refused to give him the time to recuperate and was immediately on him using more vicious strikes. The Mononobe clan's side erupted in cheers as they urged the young heir on, while the Tachibana began to panic. Heihachi especially was not pleased with the turnabout.

"Kurotora! What are you doing?! You were dominating him a mere moment ago! Stop running and END HIM!"

Hearing his father's words, Kurotora immediately tried to counter, but Kyoshiro's strikes were too fluid, too precise, and left little to no room for an opening. He could feel the Mononobe's blade pass by his face as he awkwardly deflected it to the side, the wind ruffling his crimson locks.

'_Damn him! If this keeps up, I'll be the one eating the floor! Gotta make an opening…there!'_

Slipping past one of Kyoshiro's strikes, Kurotora stepped off to the side and reeled his arm back, before jabbing the base of his iaito hilt into the back of Kyoshiro's head. The illegal strike sent other swordsman tumbling to the floor.

"HALT! Illegal maneuver performed by Kurotora Tachibana!" The ref immediately interfered, eliciting boos and nasty remarks from the Tachibana clan. One ref ran over to Kyoshiro, who was picking himself up gingerly from the ground. He had a bleeding cut on his forehead from hitting the ground, and when he put his hand to the spot on his head that was struck, he felt a familiar wetness.

"Are you still fit to fight, Kyoshiro-sama?" asked the ref as he looked over the downed lad. Fighting against the dizziness he felt, the Mononobe heir nodded, "Yea…I'll be fine. Don't stop the match and don't take any points off please."

The ref looked troubled, "He used an illegal strike against you…by all means, he should be disqualified."

"There's no such thing as an illegal strike on the battlefield!" Heihachi jeered loudly at the ref, "All is fair in fighting in a war! That's how the assassins handled things! If the boy is too weak to go on, he deserves to lose!"

The ref was about to respond, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, "as much as I hate agreeing with Tachibana-teme over there, he's right. All is fair on the field of battle. I'll be fine, continue the match."

Seeing the determination in Kyoshiro's slightly dulled eyes, the ref felt his respect for the boy increase, "Very well, you may continue," he backed away towards the center of the ring as the boys faced off again, "this match shall now resume!"

The crowd erupted and resumed rooting for their favorites, though the Tachibana could smell blood in the water, and urged their heir to destroy Kyoshiro. Taking it all in, Kurotora's grin turned cocky as he looked at his weary opponent, "You should've taken that down and left, little Kyo. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because your wounded…it actually just makes me wanna see you bleed more!" he said with a crazed look in his feline-like yellow eyes.

Kyoshiro narrowed his own gaze as he took stock of his situation, _'Damn…I didn't expect that last strike…guess Dad was right when he said the Tachibana will do anything to win…'_

Looking back towards his clan, he could see his father and mother watching on with worry, while Saya cheered and urged him on with all her heart.

"Don't let that bully stop you, Kyo-nii! Wipe the floor with him!"

Smiling at his sister's invigorating encouragement, he took a quick glance at the judges's booth, where both Hina and Tsuruko looked on with rapt attention. Both had been ready to stop the match after Kurotora's blatant foul, but after seeing Kyoshiro's insistence on continuing, decided to let the boy handle the match his way.

Looking back to his rival, Kyoshiro was just in time to see Kurotora's blind rush towards him, and brought his iaito up to block. For the next few moments, the Mononobe heir was on the defensive, as he was still feeling the dizzying effects of the illegal blow to the head. Kurotora became even fiercer as he saw Kyoshiro's guard begin to crumble under his merciless assault, his victory so close that he could taste it.

"I can see you weakening, little Kyo!" he cried out as one strike slipped past Kyoshiro's guard and tore part of his gi, "You're getting slower, sloppier! At least make this a challenge for me before I take your fucking head off!"

Kyoshiro gritted his teeth as his guard continued to falter, _'Dammit! I'm screwed at this rate! If I could just…wait a minute…'_

Behind his failing attempts to protect himself, Kyoshiro began to notice large gaps opening in Kurotora's form. While the strikes were fast, and powerful, they were becoming more crazed and less fluid, leaving more holes in the Tachibana's defense.

'…_he really should know better than to get that overconfident…but this is a Tachibana I'm dealing with here…time to remind him of the basics'_ Kyoshiro thought and with a smirk began planning his counterassault.

Completely in the dark to the incoming retaliation, Kurotora kept slashing away at his opponent's guard, fueled by the cheers of his clan and the hatred inherited from their historic feud, "You bastards must've felt sooo comfy, seated beside the emperor and his family for the past five fucking decades!" He emphasized his words with powerful strikes that shook Kyoshiro to the core, but the Mononobe remained steadfast while Kurotora continued, "Making fun of the Tachibana as if YOU were the greatest! Well it's time for a damn wake up call to you Mononobe bastards, starting with YOU!"

With a powerful downward strike, Kyoshiro's guard shattered, leaving him wide open. Kazuya and the rest of his family watched on in horror, tears running down Saya's eyes as she witnessed what she believed to be the end of her brother.

"Kyo-nii…KYO-NII WATCH OUT!"

Kurotora raised his blade in victory, the exultation of his father and the rest of the Tachibana clan behind him, "BURN IN HELL, YOU BASTARD!"

Kyoshiro's eyes widened, before a small smirk came to his face. As Kurotora struck, the Mononobe heir moved with speed beyond what he'd initially shown, and moved to the side just as his opponent's blade slashed through his original position. Bringing his blade up in a savage upward strike, Kyoshiro nailed Kurotora's wrists, shattering one of them. The Tachibana's blade flew out of the wring, and Kurotora crumpled to his knees, screaming in agony as he clutched his broken wrist to his chest. Kyoshiro merely pointed the tip at his rival's head, "…my win…Kuro-teme."

"The match has been decided!" the refs shouted out, and as one of them went to check on Kurotora, the other quickly received the final observations of the judges. "By unanimous decision of the judges, the victor in this final bout is," he paused for dramatic affect before lifting Kyoshiro's blade hand into the air, "the Mononobe heir, Kyoshiro Mononobe!"

There was a lull after the announcement, before the Mononobe clan erupted in the loudest cheers anyone had heard all day. Balloons and doves were let loose as clansmen hugged their kin, some crying in happiness.

Kazuya was beside himself, shouting praise into the air as he beheld his son, who was jumping up and down in excitement at his victory.

On the other side, the Tachibana were shell-shocked by their prince's defeat. Heihachi was furiously denying the legitimacy of the victory, and had to be held back from the ring.

"THIS IS BLASPHEMY! KUROTORA HAD THE VICTORY IN HAND! THAT BASTARD MONONOBE MUST HAVE CHEATED SOMEHOW!"

Back in the ring, the ref that had went over to see to Kurotora's injury knelt beside the now quiet teen, "Let me take a look at that wrist."

Kurotora looked over slowly at the ref, eyes bloodshot from the pain, but still with a crazed glint in them. The defeated heir then looked over to where the other ref was looking over and congratulating the winner.

'…_no…that…ronin wannabe Mononobe beat me?! Beat ME?!'_

Kurotora then eyed the katana sheathed at the judge's waist, and within his mind, something snapped.

It happened too fast for anyone to stop it, one moment the wounded Tachibana was on the ground, the next, he'd grabbed the hilt of the ref's katana and pulled the blade out with his good hand, "NOOOOOO! THIS IS BULLSHIT! I'LL KILL YOU KYOSHIRO!"

Kyoshiro looked behind him to see his defeated rival, armed with a live katana and poised to strike. Pushing the other ref out of the way, he brought up his iaito, "Kuro-teme…calm the fuck down. You lost already, don't bring even more shame to your clan by trying to attack me-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Kurotora was beyond rational thought at this point, insanity blazing in his eyes, "YOU MONONOBE THINK YOU'RE SO FUCKING HOT, WELL ONCE I WIPE YOU ALL OUT, YOU WON'T EVEN BE A FUCKING FOOTNOTE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS!"

With that, Kurotora rushed towards his rival, intent on ending his life, "DIE YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

"KYOSHIRO, GET OUT OF THERE!" Kazuya yelled as he was about to jump onto the ring and save his son. Heihachi, seeing this, also prepared to intervene and stop his mad son from committing murder before the emperor.

"KUROTORA, YOU BLOODY FOOL! STOP THIS BEFORE YOU DISHONOR US ANY FURTHER!"

The boy was no longer thinking with reason…or thinking at all for that matter, and continued his blind rush towards Kyoshiro. Hearing the cries for help and the wails of his loved ones, Kyoshiro focused solely on Kurotora, and just as his rival reached him and swung down, the Mononobe heir parried the strike with his iaito, deflecting it to the side before countering with a strike to the point where Kurotora's neck met his shoulder. The Tachibana heir was out cold before he even hit the ground.

Immediately, the refs, Kazuya, Heihachi, and even Tsuruko, who had jumped from her place at the judges table and had been reading a ki technique, flooded the ring to check on the boys. Kazuya ran up to his son, Sakuya following soon after.

"Kyoshiro, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Sakuya asked as she fussed over his blood-smeared face and roughed up clothes like a mother hen. Kazuya also kept looking over his son, thanking the gods that he'd survived the sneak attack.

"I'm alright Mom, Dad. I was able to deflect his strike and knock him out before he did any more damage. Don't worry about me," Kyoshiro reassured them with a sigh as he felt the adrenaline leave his system, causing him to feel every bit as drained as he probably looked.

"That boy crossed the damn line," Kazuya gave a harsh look towards the Tachibana heir, who was now being carried over Heihachi's broad shoulder, "Heihachi! You better learn to control that wild animal of yours before he starts anymore trouble!"

Heihachi stopped and turned to look at Kazuya and his family, a sneer on his face, "Don't you try and tell me how to raise my own kin, fool. You've obtained your victory today, but mark my words, the Tachibana WILL make you pay for this insult!" he then looked to Kyoshiro, and the boy could swear he was trying to murder him with his eyes, "and as for you boy, you got REAL lucky. Kurotora became arrogant, and that was the ONLY reason you prevailed. Next time, it'll be YOU on the ground out cold!"

"When your son stops acting like a bitch and can win without resorting to dirty bullshit tricks, tell him I'm ready for a rematch whenever," Kyoshiro glared back at the Tachibana clan head, refusing to back down from the more experienced swordsman.

Giving the main Mononobe clan family one last dirty look, Heihachi leapt off the ring towards his clan, Kurotora still unconscious over his shoulder, and as one, the Tachibana clan walked off the courtyard and out of the palace grounds without even staying to hear the final results or give a final respectful salute to the emperor. The crown prince and princess blew raspberries at the Tachibana's retreating backs, and even the empress appeared displeased at the blatant show of disrespect.

The emperor merely sighed, "I was afraid that would be their reaction should they fail to achieve victory again. They have lost the past five tournaments…sometimes I wonder if we should put a victory cap to prevent this kind of situation."

The empress looked to her husband, "I don't think you would be able to settle this so easily with such a measure," she spoke in a soft, silk-like voice that eased the emperor a bit, "they would still consider it an insult and a dishonor to their pride if you just gave them the position because they couldn't earn it for themselves."

"…You're right…as always," the emperor chuckled, earning a giggle from his wife, "It matters not now. We've more important things to worry about."

Standing from his seat and, in a bold move, walking from the veranda towards the ring, surrounded by his honor guard, the emperor went up the steps and walked towards a now seated Kyoshiro, who was being bandaged up by the ref while Kazuya and Sakuya watched on with relief in their eyes. Saya had latched onto Kyoshiro's uninjured side and refused to let go.

"C'mon Saya-chan, I told you I'm fine-"

"Nuh-uh! Baka-nii's still bleedin! You made me think you were gonna die!"

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"….Kyo-nii's still a baka-nii…"

"Now, now young lady, I'm sure he didn't mean to make you worry," interrupted the deep, warm voice of the emperor. Kyoshiro scrambled to his feet to stand at attention, bringing his still clinging sister up with him, "My emperor!"

The emperor laughed, "At ease Kyoshiro, I don't want you to go injuring yourself even further."

"See?! Even the emperor knows you're hurt Kyo-nii!" Saya squealed as she held her brother tighter, her hair masking her eyes in shadow and tears falling again from her cheeks.

"Now, let's have no more of that," the emperor knelt down to the sobbing Saya and used his hand to wipe away her tears, "a pretty little girl like you shouldn't be crying after her brother fought so hard, right?"

Sniffing a bit more, Saya looked back to the emperor, a gentle smile on his face, before giving him a small pout, "…I'm not little…I'm 10…"

"Oh, forgive me," the imperial ruler apologized and rubbed his hand on top of the young girl's head, making her laugh before he stood back up and faced Kyoshiro, who was still standing at attention. "I thought I said at ease, young man."

"…sorry my lord…force of habit…blame dad," the wounded young swordsman relaxed a bit as his father and mother came to stand behind him.

"Don't blame me…blame your mother. She taught you etiquette," Kazuya laughed as Sakuya playfully hit him in the chest at his shifting blame.

The emperor laughed, seeing the heartwarming interaction of the family of four, "It truly does my heart proud to see such a close knit family. It appears your clan has won again, Kazuya-kun."

"We are honored to serve at your side, My Emperor," Kazuya said as he bowed gracefully, the rest of his family and clan bowing soon after him.

"I know that we normally have the award ceremony immediately, however considering what's happened, and Kyoshiro's current state, I think we can put it off until tomorrow," the emperor gave Kyoshiro one final pat on the shoulder before turning and walking back to his family, honor guard in tow.

Kyoshiro breathed out a sigh of relief and looked up at his parents, "I don't know about you, but I think I'm gonna crash the minute we get back home…I'm beat."

Kazuya gently squeezed his son's shoulders affectionately, "Take all the time you need son. You earned it."

* * *

As she watched the Mononobe main family walk off, a frown found its way onto the Urashima clan head's face. Kurotora's display, while extreme, was not the first time a defeated Tachibana at the tournament tried to strike out at their Mononobe opponent. For the past thirty years, tension had been building since the assassin clan's third consecutive loss, and these random moments of acting out were raising red flags with their frequency.

"Haruka," the younger Urashima turned and narrowed her eyes when she saw the serious look on her grandmother's face, "I want you to assign some of our scouts to every Mononobe compound frequented by Kazuya and his family."

"Something bothering you, granny?" Haruka raised an eyebrow at the request. While it wasn't outlandish, it did seem strange. Then again, Hina had always been a little protective over Kazuya.

"Call it an old woman's intuition, child. What happened today may have been a sign of things coming to a head between the Tachibana and the Mononobe. When I was a girl, my father, Keisuke, always believed that those two clans could never co-exist. There's far too much history and blood spilt between them for any peace to be permanent. I had hoped he was being an ignorant fool, but now…"

Seeing that the elderly woman wouldn't expound further on her thoughts, Haruka nodded, "I'll let them know ASAP. It's gonna suck if you're "old woman's intuition" turns out to be right though."

The foreboding in Hina's voice chilled Haruka to the bone, "Pray that I'm wrong, Haruka…by the gods, pray that I'm wrong…"

* * *

"YOU INSUFFERABLE IDIOT!"

A loud 'SMACK' followed by the sound of something crashing into furniture echoed throughout the room, and heads turned to see Kurotora, now with a brace around his wrist, laid out on top of the now-broken wooden table where he fell after Heihachi had slapped him.

"Your irresponsible actions have cost us DEARLY boy! Have I not taught you better than this?! HAVE I NOT?!"

Silence reined as the Tachibana clan head looked absolutely livid at his son. After the conclusion of the tournament, Heihachi and the rest of his clan had returned to their temporary compound on the outskirts of Tokyo, where he reprimanded his son for his actions. After a few moments on the ground, Kurotora shakily stood up and returned the cold look of his father with a glare of his own, "I tried to do…what we SHOULD'VE done YEARS AGO!"

"…choose your words carefully boy…you've sullied our honor before the emperor enough…I will NOT tolerate your slander against our own kin…" the underlying tone of danger in Heihachi's voice promised brutal retaliation toward whatever his son may have said next.

"No Father…I've been quiet for too damn long…I was quiet when you taught me our history and how those BASTARDS stole what was ours…I was quiet when I saw my first tournament and they CHEATED us out of the victory…" Kurotora paused, trying to rein in the angry tears streaming from his face as he brought up the most painful injustice, "I…was quiet…when _they _KILLED HER!"

"Kurotora…don't you dare…"

"BUT I'M NOT GONNA BE QUIET ANY MORE! I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE THAT SEES THOSE MONONOBE ASSHATS AS A VIRUS THAT NEEDS TO BE WIPED OUT!"

"That is ENOUGH of your senseless pandering!" Heihachi put a stop to his son's impromptu speech, not noticing that many of the younger clan members, and quite a few of the elders, seemed to resonate in some way with Kurotora's words. Before he could physically discipline his son further, a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Calm yourself, Heihachi-sama. It's clear the boy is simply tired and still frustrated from his loss to Kyoshiro. He's probably not even aware of what he's saying."

Heihachi turned to face the voice over his shoulder, which belonged to his longtime friend and commander of his assassins, Ensui Yamamoto. Ensui was about the same age and height as Heihachi, with long, slightly unkempt dark brown hair, tanned skin, and empty-looking dark-brown eyes. A long diagonal scar running from above his left eye to the bottom of his right cheek marred his handsome face.

"Which makes his words even worse! He's already tainted our image before the emperor and his family…it will take more than pandering and favors to the Imperial Family and the Mononobe to fix this slight…" Heihachi answered as turned to face the other man, before continuing in a whisper, "…plus there is also the matter of Kurotora's aunt to consider…"

The Tachibana clan head shot a discreet look towards one corner of the room, where an alluring redheaded woman of average height stood watching the proceedings, a blank look of indifference on her face, although her midnight-blue eyes were slightly narrowed. Dressed in a casual, short dark-green kimono, she blended in with the darkened room, with her vibrant hair being the only way to identify her amongst the rest of their kin.

"…yea, we wouldn't want _that_ woman to get any ideas," Ensui agreed with a nod of his head, "but I don't believe she'll take his ramblings seriously. He's just a boy throwing a tantrum after all…"

Heihachi sighed before looking back at Kurotora, who still glared at him defiantly, "Head back to your room, Kurotora. I'll deal with you later."

Furious at his dismissal, the enraged boy stomped off to his room, rudely pushing anyone in his way to the side. Heihachi let out another sigh as he observed the boy's behavior, before noticing another person who had entered the room, "Oh, Mikamura-sensei. I wasn't aware you were in Tokyo. What brings you here?"

A ripe-looking older man in a worn kimono with a balding head and long silver beard stepped closer to where the clan head and his second-in-command now sat, "Greetings, Heihachi-sama, Ensui-sama. I apologize for the short notice, and my condolences on the loss…I truly believed Kurotora-sama would bring us our long-overdue victory," he said in a soft, willowy voice laden with age.

"His performance was adequate, but his arrogance once again led to his downfall. Enough about that, though. Why are you here?" Heihachi was quickly growing impatient, the stresses of the day finally catching up with him.

"I had a breakthrough with one of our many ki-enhancement projects recently…we may have discovered the key to harnessing that energy at will…for a temporary period."

Heihachi sighed again, "I already told you before, Sensei, I refuse to consider any potential project on ki-enhancement and control right now. Your last failures already cost us far too much, including several of our clansmen! I don't need the added trouble of coming up with excuses and fabricated accidents to those thrice-damned Urashima envoys as to why our kin are dying from ki-exhaustion!"

"B-but Heihachi-sama, we were able to isolate the problem and eradicate it for the most part-"

"Key words 'for the most part', meaning there's still a major issue, and thus I'm not interested," Heihachi quickly shut down Mikamura's argument and stood to leave the room, "stop this fool's errand of yours and get our doctors back to work on figuring out safer methods of body enhancement…maybe if you came up with something USEFUL, we could finally have an edge on those Mononobe bastards…"

Mikamura looked down in frustration as the Tachibana clan head walked past him and left for his quarters, with the rest of the assembled clansmen, including the mysterious redheaded woman, slowly filing out of the room. The dejected doctor turned to leave, but Ensui stopped him.

"Hold just a moment, Mikamura-sensei," he called out as he slowly made his way to the doctor, "please forgive Heihachi-sama for his gruff rejection. It's been a terrible day for him overall."

The old man sighed, "I could imagine…but we've made so much progress with our newest ki-enhancement formula. To just have it so carelessly disregarded is just…" he couldn't continue, the anger at the dismissal of his life's work too much to bear.

"…maybe we don't need to scrap it afterall."

Mikamura looked up in surprise at Ensui, who was giving him a small smile, "I still find your work rather intriguing, and if what you say is true, then this new formula is something that can't be overlooked. Would you mind sending me any reports on your progress with it, and maybe a sample? Perhaps if I take a look I can put in a good word for it later."

Mikamura's mood made a complete 180 shift as he beamed at the assassin commander, "O-of course, Ensui-sama! I'll have the data and a sample to you immediately!"

"Excellent. I'll be looking forward to it. In the meantime, just keep any word about the project hush-hush around Heihachi-sama for the time being…I'll try to talk him down and discuss the idea with him further."

Quickly nodding, Mikamura bowed and gave his thanks to Ensui before rushing from the main hall to get the reports from his co-workers. The assassin commander waited until the doctor was out of sight before making his way to Kurotora's room.

'_That's one step done…now for step two…'_

* * *

"So those bastards took the win again, huh?"

After leaving the main hall in disgrace, Kurotora had returned to his temporary sleeping quarters in the compound, where he found his younger brother, Akisora, sharpening his favorite katana while sitting on his futon. The boy was only two years younger than Kurotora, with the same blood-red hair and luminous yellow eyes, but while Kurotora's eyes were feline in shape, Akisora's were more normal. He stood about a head and shoulders shorter than his older brother, and preferred more modern clothing, currently wearing slightly baggy jeans and an old t-shirt with oil stains from polishing his katana.

"That they did…and instead of taking my side like I KNOW he wanted to, he brushed me aside and humiliated me before everyone in the hall! I only said what everyone was fucking thinking but didn't have the damn balls to say!"

Akisora nodded his head while he used a cloth to remove the excess oil from his blade, "And I think you were right…most of the people in that room probably thought you were right…but you shouldn't have said it in front of Dad."

Kurotora sat down on his futon opposite Akisora and gave him his attention, "What do you mean, otouto?"

"I mean, we both know father _hates_ the Mononobe…I mean we hate them too, but him? He _lives_ that hate. But if there's anything he hates more, it's losing face in front of the emperor…which is the LEAST of what would happen if anyone from our clan did anything to a member of the Mononobe outside of that imperial tournament ring."

Grudgingly, Kurotora had to agree with his brother's words. The tradition of the Decennial Imperial Tournament was more or less an unofficial non-aggression pact between the two clans, as well as an opportunity for one of the clans to rise to prominence for the next decade. There weren't many who would look too kindly on the violation of that pact, even if it was to right a history of wrongs.

Noticing his brother's silence and the look of frustrated defeat on his face, Akisora continued, "Now that one consequence is the only reason for Dad's continued subservience to those Mononobe bastards…well, that and the fact that there probably aren't enough of us who are high enough on the totem pole to agree to wipe those murderers out-"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, kiddo."

Both brothers turned quickly to the doorway of their shared room, where Ensui had just entered, "Forgive the intrusion, Kurotora-sama, Akisora-sama, but you might want to keep the door closed when talking about things like this."

Kurotora gave the man a hostile stare, "We'll remember that next time, so what the hell you want?! Gonna run to Father and rat us out?!"

The Tachibana heir was thrown off when Ensui began to laugh, his eyes squinted shut from his mirth, "Oh Kurotora-kun…if I wanted to do that, I never would've revealed myself to the two of you. No…I just wanted to tell you that there's a lot more of us who believe the same as you than you boys think."

"Really now?" Akisora questioned with interest in Ensui's input written on his face.

"Indeed…maybe if I could have a bit of your time, I could offer some…insight, to your dilemma," Ensui looked at Kurotora, who gave the man a malevolent smirk.

"…I'm listening…"

* * *

The first thing Kyoshiro noticed upon waking up was the gentle light of the sun in his eye, followed by the low buzzing sound of his alarm. Reaching over to shut it off, he realized with a bit of shock that he couldn't move his left arm due to a weight on it. Lifting his head a bit from his futon, he saw the reason for the weight and sighed.

"…Saya-chan…"

"mmm…too early…five more minutes Kyo-nii…"

"…what have I told you about sneaking into my futon at night? I KNEW letting you stay around Kanako-chan too long was a bad idea," he tried his best not to sound too uncomfortable, but when you had your little sister's head lying on your torso and her body on top of your arm, her DEVELOPING body at that, it tended to make things uncomfortable. Like her mother, Saya had begun to physically mature very early, and the signs of a lithe, feminine form were beginning to show more and more each day.

"…but you're an awesome pillow…just like Kana-chan said…"

Kyoshiro was having none of it, and fixed his sister with a blank stare, "Saya… . ."

Seeing that she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep now that her favorite pillow was awake and complaining, Saya gently rose from her brother's chest and cutely rubbed one eye, one of the shoulders of her nightshirt falling off slightly. Finally free, Kyoshiro rose from the futon and started going through his normal routine: get up, brush teeth, dress, polish his katana, and get ready for school. As he stood brushing his teeth, his mind reflected on the past couple of days. The day after the conclusion of the tournament, he, his family, and several members of their clan had gathered for the award ceremony and the traditional bestowment of the title of "Imperial Guardians." It was a lot of pomp and circumstance, with many highly-ranked dignitaries from all over Japan in attendance. The emperor himself placed the medal of victory around Kyoshiro's neck, as well as presenting his father Kazuya with the ceremonial golden Guardian Nodachi and Tanto. He had only seen it a couple times, but from those occasions, the young swordsman still believed it to be the oddest blade he'd ever seen. It stood about his height and the entire piece was made of the finest gold…including the blade. The fact it was a live blade and had been proven to cut before still baffled him, but didn't lose any sleep over it.

After the ceremony and reception, they had returned to their main compound on the western shore of Okinawa the following day, where his mother and father had told him they were planning a feast to celebrate their sixth consecutive victory over the Tachibana. That was two days ago. The feast would be in another three days, a thought that brought a huge smile to Kyoshiro's face.

'_I wonder who's gonna be able to come to this one…maybe Tsuruko-sempai and Motoko-chan? That'd be awesome!'_

Thoughts focused on the party to come, the young heir let his body go on autopilot, dressing into his school uniform and walking out of the compound into the front yard, where Kazuya was sitting under a tree in a plain yukata, resting from practicing his katas with a look of calm on his face. Hearing footsteps coming closer, the Mononobe clan head turned and beamed when he recognized his son. "Hey kiddo! Leaving a bit later than normal today, huh?"

"Sorry Dad…got a slow start today. Saya snuck into my room again…" Kyoshiro scratched the back of his head in slight annoyance, "I keep telling her she can't do that anymore, but she doesn't listen…it's annoying as hell…"

"Y'know…if this was olden times, that kinda behavior would've been encouraged, since chances are you'd end up marrying her," Kazuya said with a chuckle. That chuckle became a full on belly laugh after seeing his son pale at the revelation.

"EWWWWW! DAD! REALLY?!" Kyoshiro shook his head vigorously to get the images out of his head, "That's gross! How could they do that?! WHY would they do that?! Ick!"

It took a while, but Kazuya was able to calm down enough to explain, "Well that's how they kept the bloodline pure back then. It was before people learned more about medicine, the human body, and the disadvantage of repeated genomes caused by siring children with someone of your own blood," he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye before leaning back into the tree, "the kids would be placed into arranged marriages with the closest female to them in relation near their age…around the age you and Saya are now if I remember right…"

"…the fact you can even think about that without being disturbed calls your sanity into question, old man," Kyoshiro gave his father a deadpan look and decided to switch to a more pleasant, less disturbing topic, "So who's coming to the feast?"

Kazuya took a moment to remember who he'd received replies to the feast from. Looking up into the leaves above in contemplation, he answered, "Hmm…well unfortunately none of the Aoyama can make it…they've all been called away on some demon-exorcising hunt in Sapporo," that bit of news brought a frown to the boy's face, "The Urashima can't make it either, but they did say they had scouts that may be able to show up. So it's just going to be all of our clan in attendance."

Kyoshiro sighed, "Damn…I was hoping I'd get to see them there…then again, this means Kanako-chan and Saya-chan won't be in the same place together…I swear they're clingy as fu-"

"Language, young man!" the lovely, but stern voice of Sakuya intervened, father and son turning to see her walking towards them, dressed in a simple house kimono and holding a wrapped bento in her hands.

"Sorry mom!" Kyoshiro blushed from getting caught red-handed, but his mother only smiled and waved him off, "It's fine, just be more careful. We can't have the heir of the clan develop a potty mouth."

She handed her son the bento, which he quickly placed into the small backpack slung over his shoulder, before taking a seat next to her husband and hugging herself close to him. Kazuya wrapped an arm around her waist to bring her closer, "Good morning to you too, dear. You just missed the funniest conversation…"

"Oh no, we are NOT going there again! That's creepy!" Sticking his tongue out in disgust, Kyoshiro turned to leave, "I'll see ya when I get back home later!"

The parents waved to their son as he ran off before leaning back further into the tree they sat against. Sakuya placed her head in the crook of Kazuya's neck and sighed happily, "He's growing up so fast, isn't he?"

"Don't remind me," Kazuya laughed as he nuzzled the top of Sakuya's head with his nose, "Just another indication that I'm getting old…to think I have to hand the reigns of the clan to that lil guy in the next couple years…"

Sakuya giggled at the affectionate way Kazuya referred to his son, "You think he'll be ready? It's an awful lot of responsibility."

"He's coming along pretty well with what I've taught him," the Mononobe clan head smiled as he recalled his training sessions with his prodigal son, "He showed that much at the tournament a few days ago. Soon he'll be ready to start with ki-augmentation."

Sakuya lifted her hair and gave her husband a slightly worried look, "Will he be able to handle it? We don't even know if…_it_ has manifested in him."

Kazuya's eyes hardened and he tilted his head down, mind aflutter with grim thoughts at the rather touchy subject, "I'm hoping against all hope that the curse skipped him. It didn't come out when Kurotora tried to kill him, so maybe he was spared," he looked back up to his wife, his eyes calming as they stared into hers, "Don't worry, I've given him the beginner scrolls only. The advanced material is with Hina-sama, and I'll be keeping a close eye on him during his ki training."

Her worries assuaged for the time being, Sakuya beamed at her husband before leaning in and kissing him gently on his lips, "That's all I ask, _anata_."

Kazuya gave his wife a wide grin, "If that's a reward for training him, I should do it more often! He could still learn a thing or two from his old man!"

Sakuya gave him a saucy look that made his blood burn, "Maybe you could teach _me_ a thing or two before you start his training…" she wrapped her arms around Kazuya's neck and kissed him again, with a lot more passion than the first, while pressing her sizeable chest against his own. Kazuya was all too happy to reciprocate, and the two lost themselves in each other, enjoying a tender moment under the shade of the tree that beautiful fall morning.

* * *

There was a chilling silence in the halls of the Tachibana's Tokyo compound as the footsteps of two men echoed off the walls. Something in the air just reeked of malicious intent. The past week had been a dangerous and difficult one for the two cloaked individuals. Garnering support for their plan hadn't been all that trying, but keeping their actions out of the limelight had been quite a task in and of its own.

"Are you sure my father's completely in the dark about this?" Kurotora turned his hooded head to Ensui next to him, eyes cold and focused like a predator ready to pounce, "He's been more in my space the last couple days. I thought he might be onto something."

"Your father's just a bit concerned about your mental state after everything that happened, Kurotora-sama," Ensui's low timber voice answered back, "He's been meaning to start teaching you more advanced assassination techniques, but after your…display…he's been hesitant."

The Tachibana heir scowled and resumed looking ahead, "Maybe if he'd taught me sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation…but maybe that was a blessing in disguise."

The grizzled assassin commander gave the younger man a small smile, "Yea…a real blessing alright." The two reached the end of the hall, where Ensui placed a hand on Kurotora's shoulder, "We're here."

"We are? I don't see a door," Kurotora trailed off as he watched Ensui walk up to the wall and, after feeling around it, pressed what appeared to be a switch of some kind. Seconds later, a hidden door phased out from the wall and slid to the side, revealing a dark staircase, "…I really should've seen that coming…"

Ensui chuckled at Kurotora's shock, "This is a room not even known to your father. Technically, every head of the clan should know of it, but he became distracted by…well…you know…"

Kurotora managed to hide a cringe at the mention of his father's _distraction_, but he could not hide the hardening of his eyes, "…they're gonna regret that day…I'll make damn sure of that!"

Gripping his shoulder lightly to show his support, Ensui guided the young assassin down the stairs to another door. Opening it revealed a medium sized bunker with an assembly area in the middle. Milling around in the room were about fourteen other assassins, all dressed in black bodysuits with red cloaks and hoods, and all armed to the teeth.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…apologies for the delay, we just have one more," Ensui paused as he noticed one last figure dart into the room from the stairway before closing the door and locking it, "heh, never mind. Looks like we're all here."

The commander looked out at the assembled assassins, who now stood at the ready and gave him and Kurotora their attention, "Since this is his grand plan, I'll let our esteemed leader speak. The floor is yours Kurotora-sama."

The Tachibana heir walked forward and stared hard at the assembled group, "Every single one of you has my sincerest thanks for being here. You all share my blood, my loyalty to our clan, and my love for our kin. And also…you share my hatred…the hatred bourne of over 500 years of injustice inflicted upon us by our enemies."

He looked into the eyes of every assassin in the crowd, all of them focused on him, and smiled, "That injustice…is about to be paid back in full. You've heard whispers of what I plan to do, but I'll say it clear right here and now: my mission, OUR mission, will be to wipe out every single member of the Mononobe clan. Down to the last woman and child."

Kurotora observed the crowd closely, looking out for any negative reactions to his statement. All of them were calm, and when he looked closer, he saw the glint of anticipation and eagerness in their eyes. More than satisfied, he continued, "We've been under their heel for the past sixty years…shamed and disgraced as our rightful place was stolen from us, and suffering countless injustices along the way. Well, no fucking more. It's time to correct the order of the food chain, and send those bastards to hell with the rest of their murderer ancestors!"

"UHS!" came the quick cheer from the group before silence descended upon them again. Ensui took that moment to step behind Kurotora and continue where he left off, "While there are only a few of us here, we are among the absolute best this clan has to offer. You are all assassins and warriors of the highest caliber and most reputable merit. The finest I've trained in a long time."

Ensui gave a meaningful look to each of his kin, "We all have a huge stake in this, whether it be for the glory of our clan, or for personal past grievances. All of those crimes will be punished. Thanks to our intelligence, we've discovered that our enemies will be assembled at their compound in Okinawa three nights from now…to celebrate their _victory_," no one could miss the venom in Ensui's voice as he spoke, "Since they'd never expect an attack from us, this makes the feast the perfect time to strike."

"We'll be outnumbered, obviously," Kurotora stated as he reentered the discussion, "The entire clan will be attending, all of their best warriors. Even with the element of surprise, we may not get them all before they start to fight back. We'll need a force multiplier…something to even the playing field."

"That's where Mikamura-sensei comes in," Ensui motioned with his hand, and the short, gnarled-looking doctor stepped forth, holding a medium sized case in his hands, "a few days ago, he came to Heihachi-sama and I with a radical new medicine created by our doctors, herbalists, and ki-experts. While Heihachi-sama dismissed it, I saw the potential it had. I'll let him explain how it works."

"Thank you, Ensui-sama, for your kind words," Mikamura gave an appreciative bow, before turning to the rest of the assembled assassins, "What I have in this case…will most certainly be declared illegal by the emperor and government of our nation should they discover it."

Mikamura placed a wrinkled hand on the top of the box and lifted the lid away, revealing sixteen black vials, with a dark mist hovering from their sealed caps, "This is our answer to the question of how to manipulate one's inner ki freely, and allow one to tap into ALL of their stores of energy. I give you the key to the perfect warrior: _**Yoru no Shukufuku (Night's Blessing)**_."

Dead silence prevailed over the room as the assembled assassins eyed the bottles. Mikamura took their interest as a sign to continue, "This drink will activate the portion of the brain that regulates ki-control, and temporarily enable you to access all of your ki, bringing your bodies to peak condition and beyond. You'll have the strength of fifty men, the speed of a cheetah, the eyes of a hawk, and the cunning of the most dangerous of predators."

The doctor's eyes narrowed, "However, the effects, as I've said are temporary. In all my previous tests, subjects that were exposed to the drug for longer than the advised time limit suffered from overtaxed muscles and rampant ki. The results…were NOT pretty, or painless in the least…"

"In other words, once we consume the _Yoru no Shukufuku_, we have until it burns out of our system to complete our attack," Ensui said after he bowed in thanks to the doctor, "Maybe even a little before that. We'll be deep in enemy territory and we'll have to retreat quickly should help for them arrive. There are Urashima scouts all over Okinawa, especially since one of their allies, the Otohime, have their main home there as well."

Kurotora took a breath to regain his stern composure before continuing, "As you all know…I haven't told my father and many of the higher ranked clan officials about this plan. While their hatred of those Mononobe bastards burn as strong as mine does, they stand to lose far too much if they even think of retaliation…when we do this…when we begin this attack," he paused for dramatic effect, the assassins in the room glued to his words, "there'll be no turning back. We must NEVER be discovered when this is all through. Should anyone fall in this mission…they will be erased from our records, their remains destroyed down to the last strand of DNA before we set fire to the compound. This MUST look like a freak accident, or else the Tachibana will pay dearly…I can assure you of that…"

"As of this moment, you all must accept that if you die on this mission, you will be wiped from existence, to ensure the safety of our clan," Ensui continued, his voice low and emotionless, "to be linked with this massacre would bring chaos to us all. If you are truly prepared for this undertaking, step forward and take your vial from the case."

One by one, the assassins came forward and took a vial of the ki-enhancement drug from Mikamura, strapping it to their waists. Kurotora and Ensui took the last two vials for themselves.

"You know the plan…what we intend to do…and the consequences of our actions should they ever be discovered. For now, go to your families, your loved ones, and spend what remains of your free time with them. We leave in three days." Ensui dismissed them, and one by one they filed out of the room, until it was just him and Kurotora left.

"I know it's probably pointless to ask you this again," Kurotora hesitantly addressed the commander, "but are you absolutely sure you wanna do this? You've been friends with Father for decades…this is technically betraying him."

"It's the same as you betraying the emperor's unofficial order to right the wrong of hundreds of years, Kurotora-kun," Ensui walked over and placed both hands on the boy's shoulders, "I have my own personal stake in this. As much as I respect and love your father like the brother I never had…I can't let my own ax to grind with the Mononobe clan go."

"Yea…I remember the stories…it was little Kyo's bastard father that gave you that scar in the tournament 20 years ago," Kurotora's eyes glazed over in memory of the time he heard of Ensui's tragedy-strewn past, "and then there was the Hokkaido incident seven years ago…"

Ensui's eyes darkened, his grip on the boy's shoulders gradually tightening as the terrible memories he fought to bury came rushing to the forefront, "They were ordered by the government agents to have our back when we were given the mission to eliminate those Yakuza bastards, but they left us to die…Mari…Suzuka…Hiro…they paid the price for the Mononobe's cowardice," unfiltered agony bled into the commander's voice as he spoke those names.

"They'll be avenged…every last one of them will be avenged," Kurotora said with a revolting smile, malignance present in his eyes, "Anyway, it's getting late. We better go."

"Are you heading back to your room? I can walk you there," Ensui offered, but the Tachibana heir raised a hand.

"Thank you, Ensui-jisan," Ensui smiled a bit at the rarely-used affectionate title, "but I have a stop to make before I turn in."

The commander's eyes grew downcast as he saw the direction Kurotora walked in, and silently he cursed the gods for the pain they had brought down upon the poor boy.

'_Another visit to her, huh kid?'_

* * *

Kurotora walked down a dimly lit hall with a single door at the end. Pausing in front of it, he took a breath before slowly opening the door and walking into the room. Inside was absolutely frigid, with pale-blue frost covering the floors and walls. The freezer was barren of any occupants save for two fixtures in the center: an oval-shaped capsule, and a low table with a glass case on top of it.

Within the capsule was the body of a woman with wild, flowing crimson hair and pale skin, perfectly preserved by the glacial temperatures inside the capsule. She was of medium height, with a large bust and shapely legs that were barely hinted at in the long black and red dress kimono wrapped around her body. Her arms were placed so that her hands crossed over and lay on the opposite shoulder. A look of eternal calm was on her face, though Kurotora knew that she had been anything but serene when she was alive.

"…Mother…" he addressed her, voice thick with emotion, "I'm sorry I haven't been around as much this week…things around her have been pretty crazy…but don't worry…what those bastards did to you…to our clan…I'm gonna finally set things right…"

Kurotora paused to wipe the tears now dropping from his eyes. He could never enter the final resting place of his mother and speak to her without crying, even after she'd been dead for half a decade, "…they kept insisting it was a training accident…a sparring match gone wrong…but I know better…we ALL know better…!" He tried to calm himself and not lose to the rage that burned beneath his skin like an inferno, demanding to be released, "They were afraid of your power…afraid of your skill…afraid of YOU…well, they're gonna learn they were right to be…"

The mourning boy walked forward and placed a hand on the capsule encasing his mother, a demented light in his eyes, "In a few days…we're gonna wipe em all out…just like you always wanted back then…but I'm gonna need your help…" he glanced over at the glass case on the table next to the capsule.

Inside the case was an elaborate katana box, the lid raised to reveal one of the finest looking swords ever created. The blade itself was black, but had an indescribably attractive luster to it, a tsuba in the shape of a snowflake, and a red handle with yellow ray skin wrapped around it for grip. The scabbard was black with elegant yellow designs depicting a fierce snowstorm. The plaque on the bottom of the box revealed the name of the sinfully beautiful blade: _Juuchi Yosamu (10,000 Cold Nights)_.

"…yea…I think your blade'll be the perfect partner…"

* * *

Three days came and went quickly, and although it seemed like an eternity to an impatient Kyoshiro, it was finally the night of the victory celebration. The main hall of the compound was filled with streamers and flags in the clan colors, as members of the Mononobe clan, from famed forgers and arms manufacturers, to renowned soldiers and military leaders congregated together. Everywhere the boy looked, he spotted family members having a blast, either drinking and joking around, taking in the view of the gardens outside, or sneaking off with significant others to enjoy some "alone" time.

"Well…looks like that's one wing of the house I'm gonna have to keep Saya-chan from going to…"

Speaking of the excitable young girl, Saya was playing with some of the younger Mononobe children in the yard, laughing up a storm and dirtying the adorable white and blue kimono she'd worn for the festivities. From what Kyoshiro could tell, they were starting a game of tag, with one of his younger cousins being "it." Laughing to himself, the boy glided among the guests, who greeted him with hugs, handshakes, and congratulations. Making his way to the front, Kyoshiro found his father and mother seated at the head table, laughing and joking with one of the guests. When Kazuya spotted him, he grinned and waved his son over.

"There's the man of the hour! Kyoshiro, over here son!"

Kyoshiro smiled at his father's antics and ran over to his side, where Kazuya stood and embraced him in an unexpected hug. "Dad? What are you doing?"

"What, I need a reason to hug my first born now?" Kazuya said in mock hurt, but the smile on his face gave him away, "I remember when you were smaller…you couldn't get enough hugs from your old man!"

Kyoshiro blushed, but still returned the older man's hug, "….d-did you REALLY have to bring that up?! In front of everyone?" he admonished, but there was no real heat in his voice.

Sakuya watched the bonding moment and giggled, "Oh you know how your father is once he gets a few drinks into his system…"

"Oi! I am NOT drunk! I'm good and sauced right now!" Kazuya looked back at his wife, who was now giving him a deadpanned stare, "…what?"

"Good and sauced? Only you would talk like a teenager two times younger than you," Sakuya shook her head and brushed a crease from her immaculate kimono. She'd chosen a sky blue silk kimono with intricate cloud patterns sewn into the material, along with a pure white obi. She'd worn very little make up as usual, only wearing eye liner and dark red lipstick.

"Hey, I'm still young!" Kazuya whined before leaning down to Sakuya's ear and whispering, "I'm pretty sure I showed you just how 'young' I am the other day after Kyo left for school…"

The buxom housewife blushed a beautiful crimson before reaching over the table and grabbing a glass of wine, Kazuya smirking at her reaction. In his haste to get back at his wife, however, he forgot that he'd still been holding onto Kyoshiro, who'd heard…well…_everything_.

"…I think I'm gonna be sick…" and the young boy quickly left his father's arms, a slight green tinge to his skin. Kazuya had the decency to look embarrassed, "Whoops! Sorry kiddo, forgot you were still there!"

Sakuya slapped her husband in the back of the head with a foldable fan, her embarrassed blush having become more pronounced, "Pay more attention next time, anata!"

"Awww, don't be like that Sakuya-chan!"

Kyoshiro couldn't help but laugh at his parents antics, and seeing his laughter, both Kazuya and Sakuya broke out into laughs of their own. Taking a moment to calm down, Kazuya turned to his wife, "Dear, could you get the gift for me? I think now's a good time for the main event."

Realizing what her husband was about to do, Sakuya stood up and gave Kyoshiro a hug before heading to hers and her husband's room. Once she was gone, the Mononobe clan head picked up a wine glass and used a spoon to lightly tap its side, "Everyone, may I have your attention for a quick second…well, longer than a second," his joke was met with a few laughs from those assembled, including the kids that had just come inside from their game, "As you know, we've once again come out on top against the Tachibana, and are now Imperial Guardians for the sixth straight time in a row!"

Thunderous applause and cheers roared from the crowd and many lauded praises upon their fellow clansmen who'd fought in the past tournament. Kazuya waited for them to quiet down before continuing, "In fact, it was my own son, the little prodigy in the making, Kyoshiro, who struck down the Tachibana heir in defeat, and even put the little bastard in his place when he tried to ambush him with a live katana!"

This time laughter accompanied the raucous cheers and Kyoshiro blushed a bit in embarrassment at the attention. "It wasn't THAT big a deal…any of you guys probably coulda disarmed him with how wild he was swinging…"

"Haha! He's being modest about it even now! How's that for a champion!" Kazuya wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder in a one-armed hug as the praise continued to flow from the crowd, "and that's exactly why I think it's time I give him something he's been dying for most of his life. These past three days I've seen a ton of progress with his ki training, and that, along with his victory, deserves one hell of a reward."

Kyoshiro looked at his father with a curious expression on his face, "Something I've wanted for a while? What are you talking about, Dad?"

Kazuya's only reply was another large grin.

* * *

Several blurs moved quickly among the trees surrounding the compound of the Mononobe, their footsteps barely a whisper as they jumped from the branches. Gone were the vibrant red and yellow cloaks of their clan, leaving them all in only the black bodysuits and masks that helped them blend seamlessly into the night.

Kurotora's heart was racing, adrenaline pumping through his veins and heightening his senses. Behind him, Ensui moved at an even pace, keeping a sharp eye out for any scouts in the area. They had run into a couple on their way, and had dealt with them swiftly.

"It looks like they're a bit lax on duty tonight, Kurotora-sama," the grizzled commander observed as they neared their destination, "guess that celebration of theirs really has all their attention."

"…that just makes eliminating them all the easier…" came the cold voice of the Tachibana heir. Just before they had left, Kurotora had stopped to make a quick trip to his mother's resting place to ask for her blessing and borrow the _Juuchi Yosamu_. His hand whispered over the hilt of the legendary ancient blade at his side for strength.

"Indeed. We should be there in another ten minutes at this pace," Ensui glanced behind him at the rest of their team. All fourteen assassins had managed to keep pace with the energetic heir and their commander, with none showing any signs of fatigue.

"Good. Everyone knows what to do when we get within sight of the compound. Let's hurry…we'll only have two hours after we drink the _Yoru no Shukufuku,_ and I can't wait to see little Kyo's face when he sees my 'gift' for him," a deranged smile came over the Tachibana prince's face and he stepped up his pace even further, pushing him away from the group. Ensui smiled viciously at his surrogate nephew's enthusiasm and increased his speed as well, anxious for the bloodbath to begin.

Unseen by Ensui and the others below, a lone scout bearing the crest of the Urashima on his sleeve quickly tore off his camouflage cover and took out a radio.

"Taichou, Scout 3 reporting in. Unidentified intruders are headed for the Mononobe Compound. Requesting immediate assistance."

* * *

Shock was written on Kyoshiro's face as he watched his mother walk towards him, a long silver case in her hands. Kazuya had already taken a picture to preserve his reaction, and Saya was bouncing on her heels as she held onto her brother's hand, "Oi! Oi! What's in the box that kaa-san has?! Tell me! Tell me!"

"…no way…no freaking way…" the boy was frozen in place, his mind nearly shutting down from seeing the case. He'd seen it plenty of times before, resting in a glass box in his parents' room. When he was four, he'd asked what was in the box, and his father had told him the story of two famous master swordsmiths, Muramasa and Masamune, and the challenge they'd had between each other to determine the greatest sword maker in the world. That day he learned of two legendary swords of unrivaled craftsmanship. Muramasa's blade: the malevolent katana _Juuchi Yosamu_, and Masamune's blade: the tranquil katana, _Yawarakai-te (Tender Hands)_.

_Yawarakai-te _was said to emit an aura of such serenity that it could calm the fiercest of animals, quell the angriest of hearts, and bring peace to the most disorganized mind. A pure white blade with a tsuba in the shape of a cherry blossom and an all-white handle with sky-blue ray skin wrapped around it. The pommel had a sky-blue tassel that hung freely from the edge, and the scabbard was also sky-blue with intricate white patterns depicting the flow of a gentle river. From the way his father described it, Masamune's creation was one of the most elegant, entrancing katana's ever conceived. Of course, with Kyoshiro being so young at the time, Kazuya fashioned a long winded tale explaining how the sword had been lost in the times. It wasn't until Kyoshiro had reached the tender age of 10 and began his advanced training that he learned the truth: that the next head of the clan would receive _Yawarakai-te_ when the current head felt they were ready.

Kazuya could only beam proudly as Sakuya presented the katana case to her bewildered son. He pulled Saya to the side, eliciting a frown from the young girl, but the father of two knew that Kyoshiro would want some peace to go with the moment. With shivering hands, the fourteen year old heir gently raised the lid of the case, and his eyes beheld a sight that would engrave itself in his memory forever.

It was _exactly _how his father had described it to him all those years ago, if not more beautiful. The sky-blue scabbard was blemish free and still shone as if freshly made, the white patters of a softly flowing river gleaming in the background. The tsuba was still in excellent condition, and the tassel hanging from the end of the pommel gently moved with the small breeze in the room. After some gentle coaxing from his mother, Kyoshiro reached a hand out and gripped the handle as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. The weight of the katana was light in his hand, and reaching with his other hand, he grabbed the scabbard and pulled it away. The room became aglow with intense white light as the blade was finally revealed after being sealed away for decades. Kazuya himself had to look away out of fear of being blinded.

"Sweet Buddha! I don't think it glowed THAT much when I first got it…"

Unafraid of the light, Kyoshiro peered past it to see the luminous white blade, still as sharp as it was the day it was forged, with no imperfections or signs of age despite being over hundreds of years old. "…Dad…it's…it's beautiful…"

"Preeeetyyyyyyy," Saya trailed off as her eyes glued themselves the katana in her brother's hands, "I want a sword like that too!"

"I really don't think you need a katana…let alone one like that," Kazuya commented, earning him a glare from his youngest child. He laughed it off and turned back to face Kyoshiro, "Hey son, I know you like the blade and all, but for the sake of everyone's eyes, please put it awa-"

Kazuya trailed off as several objects crashed through the windows around the main room, screams and shouts of surprise echoing in the air. Kyoshiro was also shocked out of his reverie, and quickly sheathed the blade. "What the hell was that?!"

Before anyone could get their bearings, the objects, which looked like black canisters of some sort, began to spew a foul-looking green gas that quickly enveloped the room. Those who breathed in the fumes by accident began coughing uncontrollably.

"W-what is this?!"

"The gas…I-I can't…m-move my arms for some reason…"

"It's affecting my legs too! What the hell is going on?!"

Kazuya was the first to realize what was happening, "Don't breathe in the gas! It has a mild paralyzing agent in it! Guards, find out where-"

The Mononobe clan was interrupted by a different sound this time, one that chilled his bones: the sound of a blade slicing through skin and blood being sprayed onto the floor. It was accompanied by another scream that was cut short as the source was silenced by a kunai to the throat.

"Who are you-AARRRGH!"

"KAZUYA-SAMA! INTRU-grrrghglgg!"

Kazuya grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and tied it over his mouth before unsheathing the blade at his side, "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK BY ASSASSINS! EVERYONE WHO'S STILL ABLE, DRAW EM OUT AND PUT THEM DOWN!"

The Mononobe clan members still able to fight quickly drew their blades and began to combat the assassins. They still held the numerical advantage, and began to push a few of the assassins back. Kazuya turned to Kyoshiro, who had his blade out and face masked with a scarf he found, "Kyoshiro! Find your mother and Saya, and take them to our wing of the compound! They'll be safer there!"

"What about you?!" the young heir was livid, his body shaking with repressed anger, "I want a piece of these bastards, and I'm not leaving you to fight em alone!"

"Protect your mother and sister first! THEY'RE your priority!" The Mononobe clan head gave his son a meaningful glare, and after a moment of hesitation, Kyoshiro turned and ran off to find his mother and sister. Once the boy was out of eyesight, Kazuya ran into the smoke and tried to find an assassin to engage. It wasn't long before he found one in combat with at least seven Mononobe samurai. The clan head prepared to engage, when he spotted the assassin grab something from his side…a vial of some kind, and drank from it.

What came next happened in an instant: one moment the Mononobe swordsmen were closing in to finish of the assassin, and the next they were blown back by a massive wave of ki erupting from the enemy. The masked assassin screamed and laughed maniacally as he felt the limits of his body give way to an unfathomable power. Reining himself in, he took up his blade and vanished in a burst of speed. Kazuya could only watch in paralyzed shock as the seven clansmen were viciously cut down in seconds.

"What…what kind of madness is this? No one should have that much ki! No one!" The clan head braced himself as the assassin finished off the last swordsman, slicing him into bloody chunks and rendering him barely recognizable as a human. Flinging the blood off his sword, the masked enemy turned to Kazuya and sped towards him. The Mononobe clan head blocked to the best of his ability, but the assassin was far too swift, scoring a long gash on Kazuya's left arm and another on his right leg. A pained hiss left the clan head's mouth, but he pushed the stinging sensation of his wounds away from his senses and focused completely on the assassin. Steeling himself for another assault, Kazuya was shocked when one of his other clansmen tackled the assassin, both of them tumbling out of sight. A hand on his shoulder pulled his attention to a heavily wounded guard next to him.

"M-my lord…y-y-you have…t-to escape…t-these men are…demons…"

The guard's legs failed him, and Kazuya quickly grabbed him to steadily lower him to the ground, "What the hell is going on? Who's attacking us, do we know?"

The guard wheezed before answering, "W-we haven't been a-able…to identify them j-just yet. B-but there's sixteen of t-them…and t-they all d-drank some strange elixir…a-and erupted with a t-t-terrible ki…w-we're being slaughtered…even the women and c-childr…" the man said no more as he succumbed to his wounds.

Tears fell from Kazuya's eyes as he let the now deceased man's head rest on the ground, rage blossoming in his heart like a supernova. All around him he could hear the screams…his clansmen being cut down in droves by demonic enemies…women being slaughtered where they stood. Lifting his head from the ground, he was able to make out two children running in fear before a blade came from the haze and separated their heads from their bodies. The corpses fell to the ground, blood spewing from their necks like a fountain.

"…why…why is this happening…" he asked in a broken voice, watching the carnage unfold as the haze began to lift. He jumped when a deep voice answered him back, "Because you brought this upon yourselves."

The clan head got to his feet and faced the man behind him, an assassin clad in all black with a hood and mask hiding his hair and face. But his eyes were clear as day, burning with hatred and malice.

"Do you…have ANY idea…who the hell you're attacking?!" Kazuya raged as he gripped his blade tightly, the wounds on his arm and leg completely forgotten in the heat of the moment, "I'm gonna tear your fucking heart out…I'll slaughter every last ONE OF YOU!"

"You can sure as hell try," the assassin mocked him as he prepared his own blade, foul black ki beginning to ooze from his body like a miasma, "but the only ones dying tonight are you and your traitorous ilk…Zuzu-teme…"

Kazuya's eyes widened and his jaw clenched in shock. Only one person ever called him by that name, "…Ensui?"

His identity compromised, Ensui pulled the hood and mask from his face, confirming Kazuya's fears about the attack. Upon seeing the deranged smirk and the gleeful eyes of his opponent, the Mononobe's eyes shifted from brown to bloody crimson as he tapped into his own reserves of ki.

"TAAACHIIIBAAAANAAAAAA!"

* * *

Kyoshiro ran through the haze-filled compound, fear etched into his eyes as he did his best to avoid the assassins fighting…no, _decimating _his kin all around him. He'd seen one of them drink some strange concoction before unleashing the most repugnant ki he'd ever felt in his life, and proceeded to utterly annihilate his fellow Mononobe clansmen. The petrified heir bolted as soon as he saw one of his own lose his arms in a spray of red, followed by his legs and finally his head.

'_This is insane! What…what the HELL are these things?! Demons?!'_

He couldn't come up with a better way to describe the beasts that the enemy had become after consuming whatever that liquid was. Regardless of the mess his thoughts had become, the Mononobe heir forced himself to follow his father's last orders. Reaching one of the opposite wings of the compound, Kyoshiro was able to hear the sound of crying coming from one of the rooms. Slamming the door open, he spotted Saya crouched in a corner, her kimono stained with blood that wasn't hers, and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Saya-chan! Are you alright?!" Kyoshiro bounded towards her, a mix of worry and relief evident on his face, "I've been looking all over the damn place for you!"

Saya, realizing it was her brother that had found her, jumped up and tackled his midsection, squeezing his waist tightly as she held onto him for dear life, "Kyo-nii! W-w-what's happening?!"

Kyoshiro knelt down and hugged her close to soothe her, "I have no idea…they came outta nowhere and started attacking, and a lot of our family have been killed."

"But why?! Kyo-nii, why are people attacking us?!" the frantic and fearful tone in her voice nearly broke the young warrior's heart as he held his crying sister to his chest, unable to come up with a good answer.

"I have no idea, sis, but we gotta go find mom. Once we get her, we'll grab dad and escape," Kyoshiro pulled away a bit so he could see his sister's face. Anger rose in his heart when he saw the fear in her eyes and more tears fall down her face, but he pushed it down and did his best to look strong for her, "so don't worry about a thing. We're gonna be just fine. Now let's go find mom."

"k-kay," came the hesitant reply from Saya as Kyoshiro picked her up and ran from the room. Turning down another hallway, he saw his parent's room come into view, "We're almost there, Saya-chan! We just gotta-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU BASTARD!"

Blood freezing in his veins, Kyoshiro recognized the terrified screams coming from his parents' room, and rushed towards it with Saya still in his arms. When he got to the door, he kicked it off its hinges and burst into the room. What he saw would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

Sakuya was kneeling on the floor, her once elegant kimono soaked with blood and torn in several places, her chest nearly exposed with small gashes on the swells of her breasts, her arms and legs bleeding from several different cuts, and her hair matted to her forehead, unkempt from her struggling. In her hands were two small daggers that she'd used to fend off her attacker. Standing above her was a young man, who looked to be Kyoshiro's age judging from his height, dressed in all black with a hood and mask hiding his hair and facial features. In the low light, Kyoshiro couldn't make out the man's eyes, but he could feel the malicious ki rolling off the assassin in waves, even more so than he felt from the other assassins he'd passed. In the assailant's hand was a katana with a black blade, blood dripping from the tip. His _mother's_ blood.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Kyoshiro screamed as he put Saya down outside and drew his practice sword, _Yawarakai-te _still sheathed on his hip. The masked assassin turned to face him, before Sakuya screamed at her son, "Kyoshiro! Get away from here! Take Saya and run!"

"I'm not gonna leave you here mom! Dad told me to get you!"

"FORGET ABOUT ME! JUST RUN AWAY!"

The mysterious assassin flung the blood from his blade and sheathed it before laughing, earning a baleful glare from Kyoshiro, "I was wondering when I'd run into you…little Kyo."

Kyoshiro froze at the nickname, denial spreading across his face, "No…there's no fucking way…"

"Oh, your eyes aren't playin tricks on ya…here, I'll show you," the assassin slowly removed the hood from his head, revealing his wild, crimson hair. He then pulled down his mask and lifted his head to reveal tan skin, and golden yellow eyes that were shaped almost like a feline's.

Seeing the face of the assassin all but confirmed Kyoshiro's suspicion, and revealed the identity of those attacking his family, "Kurotora…are you FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

"Kurotora…" Sakuya gasped in shock and rose to her feet unsteadily as she took in the face of the assassin. Before anyone could react to the revelation, Kurotora disappeared in a blur before reappearing behind the wounded mother of two and wrapping his arm around her throat. Sakuya tried to break free, but Kurotora roughly placed one finger from his free hand into a large wound on her arm and began pumping his dark ki into her veins. Soon, all her movement became sluggish, before stopping altogether. "W-w-what foul madness is this?! What've you done to me?!"

Kurotora laughed before turning Sakuya's now unresponsive body towards Kyoshiro, using her as a shield, "Oh, nothing too major…I just used my ki to nullify the muscles in your body except your heart. You can't move a thing except your eyes and mouth, but you can still _feel_ everything."

Kyoshiro felt a cold dread at Kurotora's words, and raised his sword at the Tachibana heir, "You sick, twisted sonuvabitch…get the HELL away from my mom you demented fuck!"

"Now, is that any way to be talking to the guy holding your whore mother hostage?" Kurotora replied in a sinister voice before looking lewdly at Sakuya's exposed flesh, her kimono barely being held up anymore due to its missing obi, "and what a delicious-looking whore too…"

Using his free hand, the deranged Tachibana roughly shoved his hand into the folds of Sakuya's tattered kimono and fondled her naked breast, causing Sakuya to moan in disgust and anger, "G-get your hands offa me you perverted demon! K-Kazuya-kun will have your head f-for this!"

"Woowww…you're a LOT more than a handful…that kimono was hiding all this?" Kurotora looked on in sick pleasure as he continued to palm and grab at the woman's breast before taking his hand out and using it to pull out a kunai, "Let's see what else is under here!"

Kyoshiro rushed forward but was forced to stop when Kurotora placed the kunai in front of Sakuya's neck, the point breaking skin and allowing a small drop of blood to fall down her elegant neck, "I wouldn't move from that spot, little Kyo…just let me have my fun for a while. I'll kill you all in due time…"

With a quick motion of his hand, Kurotora sliced the shoulders of the kimono open, causing it to fall and leave Sakuya completely bare before him. Kyoshiro's rage peaked as he was forced to watch Kurotora shamefully disrobe his mother and resume his perverted exploration, "DAMN YOU! IS THIS HOW YOU GET YOUR FUCKING KICKS, YOU PSYCHOTIC BASTARD?! I'LL FUCKING MURDER YOU, KUROTORA!"

"Damn, you have smooth skin…and these boobs are HUGE!" Kurotora laughed with dark glee as his hand ventured further south, Sakuya crying tears of shame at her powerlessness, "I wonder how down here must feel…you should be honored to be the first woman I've explored so thoroughly Mononobe whore."

"JUST STOP THIS MADNESS KUROTORA, PLEASE!" Sakuya's screams only emboldened the Tachibana heir further and his hand crept further down before stopping just before her entrance.

"…on second thought, you're used goods…especially since you sired that filth over there," Kurotora sneered and removed his hand, before taking notice of the new addition to the room, "Oh, hello there little girl!"

Kyoshiro whirled around and saw Saya standing at the door, frozen in fear as she saw her mother standing naked and helpless in Kurotora's grasp, "K-k-kaa-san? Wh-wha…"

"Saya, get out of here! Don't look!" Kyoshiro screamed, causing Kurotora to break out into malicious laughter.

"Oh, but she'll miss the best part!" Moving quickly, Kurotora unsheathed his dark blade again held it behind Sakuya's back. Kyoshiro's eyes met his for an instant, and widened in fear when he saw the evil intent in the Tachibana's eyes, "Kurotora…please…don't…"

The Mononobe heir's pleas went unanswered, as Kurotora shoved his blade through Sakuya's heart from behind, and the woman whispered with her last breath, "K-Kyo…"

"MOTHEEEEERRRR!" Agony erupted in Kyoshiro's heart as he saw the life drain from Sakuya's eyes. He didn't even notice the shrill scream of terror that came from Saya behind him as he rushed forward, intent on ending Kurotora's life. The Tachibana heir was ready for him, however, and flung Sakuya's corpse from his blade before lunging towards the enraged Kyoshiro, black ki enhancing his strength several fold. Unaware of the power boost, Kyoshiro was unprepared for Kurotora's strike, and when their blades met, the black edge of _Juuchi Yosamu_ sliced through the dull steel of Kyoshiro's iaito like a knife through butter. The force of the blow saved Kyoshiro's life, as he was flung from the room into the hall, crashing against the opposite wall with enough force to leave a large dent. The last thing the Mononobe saw before everything went dark was Saya running over to him, screaming his name.

* * *

A sharp kick to the stomach brought the unconscious Kyoshiro back into the land of the living. The first thing he took notice of was the smell of something burning, followed by the feeling of an intense heat all around him. Opening his eyes slowly, he found the source of the heat: the compound burning.

"W-what the…"

"So you're awake, little Kyo. Took you long enough."

Kyoshiro quickly rose to his feet and whirled around to see Kurotora giving him a condescending smirk. The wounded Mononobe's rage returned with a vengeance, "Kurotora! You…you…"

"I…I what? Finally showed you how weak you and the rest of you fucking Mononbe are? Speaking of which…have you noticed that it's a bit quiet around here?" The smirk turned into a full-fledged grin, one that filled Kyoshiro with dread. Hesitantly, he looked around the room…and quickly wished he hadn't.

"No…wha…what the…" his face paled and his eyes widened as he beheld the sight before him. Dozens of bodies littered the ground, some with grievous wounds, and others barely even recognizable as people. Men, women, even children lay motionless on the ground as fire raged all around, "What….WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE! KUROTORA!"

"I did what my father and our other ancestors should've done centuries ago," Kurotora replied with pure hatred in his voice, "You Mononobe dogs have sat on your high horse for too damn long…and your sins have gone unpunished for even longer."

Kyoshiro turned to face him, ignoring the pain from his wounds as his rage began to surface, "What SINS are you even going on about, you fucking psychopath!"

"Shaming my clan for one! Leaving Ensui-jisan's friends and wife to die to the Yakuza for another!" Kurotora paused, a tear running down his face before he looked at Kyoshiro with such pure agony and malice that the Mononobe heir recoiled, "but the worst of all…the most fucked up of all…MURDERING MY MOTHER!"

"What the fuck are you on about?! Dad would…Dad would NEVER allow such a breach in the pact!" Kyoshiro rebuked in a broken voice, unable to keep the pain hidden.

"Oh…you mean _this _Dad, Kyoshiro-_kun_?"

Turning to face the new comer, Kyoshiro was met with the sight of Ensui walking among the flames towards them. Over his shoulder, he carried a sobbing, unresisting Saya, and held up in his other hand…

"….Dad…? No…no, no, no, no, NO, NOO!" Kyoshiro nearly shut down as he saw Ensui toss the decapitated head of Kazuya Mononobe at his feet. Kurotora broke out into laughter at the sight, "Oh, now that's fucking AWESOME! I hope he didn't give you too much trouble, Ensui-ji."

"He activated the blood curse…took me and three others to take him down," Ensui spat on Kazuya's head before tossing Saya down in front of Kurotora, the Tachibana heir giving her a cold look.

"Well, so much for the great blood curse," Kurotora then picked something up from the ground beside him, "here, let's make it a full set," he said before throwing another object down at Kyoshiro's feet. Tears of rage and soul-rending agony fell from the defeated heir's eyes as he took in the sight of Sakuya's head next to his father's, her last expression one of pain and helplessness.

"…M-mother…" his legs could support him no more, and he fell to his knees, hands shakily reaching out to the remains of his parents. Saya, seeing her brother so thoroughly broken, unsteadily rose to her feet and walked over to him, "K-Kyo-nii…"

Hearing his name, Kyoshiro lifted his head to see Saya walking towards him, the girl uncaring of whether she stepped in fire or not. The Mononobe heir tried to motion to her to escape, desperate to save at least one member of his family, "SAYA RUN! GET OUTTA HERE! PLEASE! JUST RUN AWAY!"

"K-Kyo-nii…they're…t-they're all…" Saya couldn't even finish as she took in the bodies lying on the ground, nearly losing her wits when she spotted the mutilated corpses of her cousins with whom she'd been playing with only hours ago. Kurotora sneered, "That's not true…they're not _all_ dead yet…"

Kyoshiro's eyes widened, and released a heart-wrenching scream of pain as the Tachibana heir quickly ran up to Saya's back and gripped the top of her head, before thrusting the dark _Juuchi Yosamu_ through her heart, just as he did to her mother. The little girl's eyes widened in pain, unable to scream as she choked on her own blood. Ensui smirked at the sight, "Well…that was pretty merciless, huh Kurotora-kun?"

"…not merciless enough for these fuckers," Kurotora quickly pulled the dark katana from Saya's chest before pushing her towards Kyoshiro, where she finally fell into his arms. Kyoshiro could only hold her as she continued to choke, crying in agony, her tears mixing with the blood from her fatal wound.

"S-Saya-chan…I-I told you to r-run…w-why…" he wept bitterly as the dying girl weakly raised her hand to his cheek, rubbing it softly, before uttering her final words.

"…Kyo-nii…_aishiteru_…"

Kyoshiro let out a bitter scream of loss as Saya closed her eyes forever, while Kurotora sniggered at the sight of the last Mononobe daughter passing on, "Hah! And then there was one."

Walking up to the kneeling Kyoshiro, who was holding Saya's rapidly cooling body close to him, Kurotora slowly brought up his sword, "Finally…I can tell Mother that vengeance has been served…Look at me, little Kyo! I wanna watch your eyes as you die!"

Kyoshiro didn't move at first, but slowly, he lifted his head to face Kurotora, but when the Tachibana heir saw Kyoshiro's eyes, he recoiled, fear spreading throughout his body like a virus as he took in the wounded Mononobe heir's _crimson _eyes. Wasting no time, Kurotora plunged his blade into Kyoshiro's stomach, but even with such a serious wound, the light in Kyoshiro's eyes didn't dim. Crimson bored into golden-yellow as Kyoshiro seared the image of his clan's murderer into his mind.

Ensui ran up to the two and grabbed Kurotora's shoulder, "We have to go, now! One of our men just got wind of a detachment of Urashima clan members rushing here. If we're caught, then this will all be for nothing!"

Kurotora nodded numbly and pulled his blade from Kyoshiro's stomach, the boy not even letting out a pained grunt as he looked hatefully at his family's killers, watching them quickly escape the burning compound with their cohorts. Heedless of the blood gushing from his wound, or the flames encroaching on him, Kyoshiro still knelt, clutching Saya's still form to him with the heads of his mother and father lying next to his feet, and glared at the spot the Tachibana heir had vacated not long ago.

"…Ku…ro…to…ra…"

* * *

"…My…God…"

The sight that welcomed the Urashima contingent was a devastating one. The entire Mononobe compound had burned to the ground, blackened support beams and partially standing walls were all that remained of the once mighty super structure.

"What in the world happened here?" one scout asked as he looked around, unable to process the destruction.

"Nevermind that, start looking for survivors! We're under strict orders to help anyone still alive!" yelled the commander as he bottled up his emotions and steeled himself for the task at hand, "Now move it!"

The next few hours saw the Urashima contingent digging through the rubble and scouring the ruins, desperately searching for any signs of life. What they found were the charred skeletal remains of their branch clan members, along with weapons, and a few personal items that escaped the blaze. As the day wore on, any hope of finding survivors diminished, and the search and rescue mission became collecting the remains of the dead to be identified and buried later.

The commander sighed; shaking his head in defeat as one subordinate reported that their search in another wing of the ruins had come up empty. Cringing at the prospect of delivering such disheartening news to Hina, he looked up at his grim-faced officer, "Understood…tell the others to grab as much of the remains as they can. We'll identify them later, and then we'll-"

"SIR! I-I FOUND ONE! A SURVIVOR! HURRY, HE WON'T LAST MUCH LONGER!"

The commander, and several of the rescue party, jumped at the news and rushed over to the remnants of the main hall, where they found one of their scouts along with their discovery.

He was barely breathing, his body knelt on the ground with a ghastly wound to the stomach. Clutched to his chest was the body of a young girl, no older than 10, and to his side were the surprisingly intact heads of a man and woman. The commander looked in shock as he saw that the boy was kneeling at the center of a circle that spread out no further than 3 feet from him, and everything within the circle had survived unmolested by the flames.

"Sweet Buddha…" the commander trailed off before turning to the scout, "Why the hell haven't you moved to help him!? He needs medical assistance NOW!"

"I-I tried to sir," the scout replied shakily, "b-but when I moved to get the body of the girl, he just looked at me and…and…Buddha above…I never wanna see those eyes again!"

Scoffing at the scout, the commander walked slowly towards the boy, who was still breathing harshly. Kneeling in front of him, he said in the softest voice he could, "Hey kiddo…it's alright. You're among allies now. I can't even imagine what you must've gone through, but we want to help you."

Seeing the boy still being unresponsive, he gently reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder lightly, as if the wounded boy would break if he pressed down too hard, "I don't know who she was to you, and I can't even think of comprehending your pain…but you have to let her go, kid. She's already gone."

The boy shivered, before slowly lifting up his head to face the commander. When they locked eyes, the commander felt fear the likes of which he'd never experienced. Hateful crimson eyes held him hostage, even as the light began to dim from them.

The commander didn't move as those eyes examined every detail of him, knowing if the boy felt any threat from him at all, he'd react violently regardless of his wounds. Seconds went by, then minutes, but they felt endless to the commander. Finally, the boy slowly lowered his head, and loosened the hold on the body in his arms. The commander slowly reached out and took Saya's corpse, treating it like fragile glass, before handing it off to one of his subordinates to the side. His burden relieved, the boy closed his eyes and lost consciousness, falling into the commander's arms.

"GET A STRETCHER AND THE MEDICS HERE NOW!"

* * *

Hina shook her head morosely as she listened to the report delivered to her by her commander, her heart battling denial regarding the tragedy that had transpired the night before. It was early evening when the recovery team returned from the Mononobe compound, with several wagons filled with the remains of deceased clansmen. One wagon had been cordoned off and separated from the rest, at the Urashima clan head's request. Hina had been the first to see its contents as two Urashima clansmen came out holding a stretcher with the covered body of Saya Mononobe, followed by two bags that held all that was left of Kazuya and Sakuya Mononobe. She openly wept as she saw the former clan head's name on one of the bags, her soul ripped in two at the loss of someone who was like a second son to her. Haruka stood next to her, also crying silently as they beheld the fate of their dear branch clan.

"How…how the hell could they just…" Haruka asked no one, watching solemnly as the scouts took the remains to one of the freezers in the compound to preserve them until they could be examined and formally buried.

Hina didn't have an answer for her adopted daughter at the time, but now with the findings of her men, she could paint a bit of a picture. Although it was made to look like an accident, her men had found signs of a large struggle. That, along with the condition of the remains of the main family confirmed that this was the work of enemy assassins. The identity of those responsible, however, was still a mystery.

"Thank you commander, you've done well," she complimented the disheveled looking man, who merely bowed in thanks; "I want you and your men to take the next few days off. I can't imagine the stress you've just gone through."

"No task is too great for us, Hina-sama," the commander said before he frowned at the ground, "…will…will the boy be ok?"

Hina hid a grimace as she answered, "Physically, he will make a full recovery, as the stab wound missed his vitals…but mentally, only time will tell. Kyoshiro-kun has survived an ordeal that no child his age should ever have to go through…I can only pray he can recover from this."

"As do I," the commander shivered as he thought back to when he found the near-dead Mononobe heir, "…it was haunting…the look in his eyes…what a terrible way to manifest the curse…"

"You must let no one know what you saw in his eyes, commander!" Hina ordered as she gave him a stern look, "If anyone outside of your team or our clan asks, Kyoshiro Mononobe died with his family, understood?"

The commander nodded, "Of course, Hina-sama. Will you require anything else?"

"No, you have served the clan well. Go take your rest," she dismissed. After he left, Hina leaned back into her plush chair and sighed, feeling every year of her age as she wiped the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Before she could relax a bit more, a soft knock rapped at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me granny," came the familiar voice of Haruka, "I just wanted to let you know…the Aoyamas are here."

Hina's mood dropped even further, but taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for what needed to be done, "Very well…tell them I'm on my way now."

* * *

"…well Mother…it's over…your murderers finally got what was comin to em…"

Kurotora had returned only hours ago from his grisly task, and the first place he'd gone after destroying any and all evidence of his actions was to his mother's resting place. Word had spread quickly around the Tachibana compound regarding the massacre of the Mononobe clan, and the majority of the clan were beside themselves with glee, though they were wise enough not to show it. The emperor had already temporarily filled the position of Imperial Guardians with several powerful and high ranking Tachibana clansmen until the culprits behind the tragedy were captured. Heihachi was busy with reorganizing the clan's affairs and preparing to head to the palace where he would meet with the emperor and receive command of the Imperial Guardian task force. This left the Tachibana heir a bit of time to pay his respects to his deceased mother.

"Using your sword to end their pathetic lives…hell…I knew it was powerful, but I had no idea that it could resonate with me so well," Kurotora held the blade lovingly, the crazed look in his eyes replaced with a look of genuine fondness, "but it belongs here…with you. I won't tarnish it with the blood of mongrels ever again."

Opening the case where it once resided, Kurotora took care to polish and wipe away any fingerprints or anything that could be traced back to him, before placing _Juuchi Yosamu_ back in the sword box and resealing the case. He knelt for a moment to say a few silent prayers to his mother and to thank her for her blessings, before rising to his feet, "…you can come out now…I'm not the dull kid I used to be…you made sure of that."

"…I suppose I did," the deep baritone voice of Heihachi echoed in the room as the Tachibana clan head, soon to be Imperial Guard Commander, stepped out of the shadows and moved to the front of the capsule that held his beloved wife, "sometimes I wonder if I trained you too well."

"…are you upset at what I did?" the Tachibana heir questioned, knowing that his very life could be forfeit within the next few moments. Heihachi stood staring at the face of his wife for a few moments, not speaking a single word.

"…have I ever told you…what happened after your mother was struck down? How the Imperial Guards knocked me unconscious soon after?"

Kurotora looked at his father in confusion, "…I don't think you ever told me that part. Why did they-"

"Because the minute I put her down after she'd spoken her last words, I drew my sword against the one who killed her…that Mononobe trash," Heihachi's eyes darkened as he remembered that terrible day, his voice trembling with barely-restrained fury, "and I was only feet away from killing her, before Kazuya and his ilk struck me down."

Heihachi paused and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to calm himself, fighting against his rage, "For months afterwards, I plotted, I schemed, and I prayed to every deity to help me find a way to make them all suffer for taking Kikyo away from me…from _us_…but in the end my rationale and my fear won out," the clan head turned to his son, who was giving him a slightly stunned expression, "I knew if I ever tried to retaliate, it would mean the end of us. While the emperor never made the pact official or writ into law, we've been practicing that decennial tradition for so long, that to break it would bring everlasting shame upon the Tachibana. That was something I could not bring down upon us as clan head…even if it meant allowing Kikyo's murderers to go free."

The clan head walked over to his son and looked down at him, his face set like stone, "Should your deeds ever come into light…should anyone ever discover that it was _you_ who murdered the Mononobe…what would you do?"

Kurotora looked down for a moment to gather his thoughts, before looking his father dead in the eyes, golden yellow to golden yellow, and replied in a strong voice, "If that _does _happen, I'll tellem it was just me that was behind it. I didn't tell you anything because I swore to myself if I got caught, I'd take the fall," the boy began to shake a bit, fighting the tears that threatened to fall, "Even if it meant sacrificing my place in the clan…if I could send Mother's killers to their fucking graves…then I'd gladly burn in hell! Because…because…"

Heihachi hugged his son as he broke down in his arms, and after a few moments, Kurotora returned the embrace before finishing, "…because if I didn't kill them, how could I face Mother in the afterlife? It's like you always taught me…the clan before everything else…"

"…while a part of me is angry at what you've done…I am prouder beyond words at your bravery," Heihachi answered as he held his first-born, "and should that day come…whatever you decide to do…I will support you from the shadows."

They stayed in that embrace before Kikyo's capsule for a while, before Heihachi released the red-eyed heir and stood, "Imperial agents will most likely come around here to interrogate our clan and determine if any of them had anything to do with the massacre. You have alibis in place, I presume?"

Kurotora sniffled, before nodding, "Yea…their families and neighbors can vouch for the others and I…amazing what a few disguises and ki manipulation can do, huh dad?" he said with a malicious smile, one his father returned.

"Indeed…especially since we never told anyone about those particular tricks of ours. The emperor and his investigators shouldn't be a problem, especially since there'll be no proof," Heihachi turned his head to look at his late wife's favored blade, "…no proof except for that."

"I don't understand, I cleaned it perfectly and everything," Kurotora gave his father another confused look, "It's been restored to the condition it was before I took it from the case…"

"That it has, but the remnants of ki from your last kill are still present in the blade. I can feel it now," Heihachi closed his eyes as he focused on the feeling of foreign ki wafting off the blade, "…you killed someone with the blood curse, didn't you?"

Kurotora looked down, feeling a small twinge of fear at the reminder, "…Yea…little Kyo awakened it after I killed his stupid sister in front of him…I stabbed him in the stomach so he'd bleed out slow while the fire took care of the rest."

Heihachi nodded in understanding, "I see…it's a good thing he perished then. Awakening that foul curse so young…there's no telling how strong he could've been. Kazuya-teme awakened the curse only a couple of years ago on a mission for the emperor. In any case," the Tachibana clan head walked over to the case that held _Juuchi Yosamu_ and removed the sheathed katana. He then dug into his gi and removed a medium sized bottle with green liquid, "it's a very good thing that this blade is _not_ the real _Juuchi Yosamu_."

This revelation floored the boy, "Whaaaaaaat?! Whadayamean it's 'not the real one'? It looks and feels just like it! Mom used it enough around me back in the day for me to get a damn good read on its ki signature!"

Heihachi didn't explain with words, but simply removed the top of the bottle and poured the liquid over the blade. Kurotora watched on, his eyes widening by the second as the colors of the blade seemed to melt off the blade, a black mist of ki wafting off, until minutes later there was just a plain black ninjato in its place.

"Wh-wh-what the hell?! Dad!? What did you do?!"

"This is an ability of the _Juuchi Yosamu_ that is accessible to highly skilled ki manipulators. By taking a portion of its ki and transmuting it to another blade, that blade can take the form of the _Juuchi Yosamu_ for as long as its original ki is active," explained Heihachi as he replaced the bottle into his gi, "this liquid is a ki remover that we created in case we ever needed the blade to reform to its original state. That black ki you just saw was the remnants of ki from the original _Juuchi Yosamu_."

Kurotora was still shell-shocked, but understanding began to dawn in his mind, "So…I used a fake _Juuchi Yosamu_ that whole time?"

Heihachi shook his head, "Yes, and no. While this blade still held the ki of the _Juuchi Yosamu, _it temporarily assumed its form, but as it was a false replica, you could only access a small portion of the original blade's power. However, I believe you're missing the real picture," Heihachi gave his son a knowing look, "Since the investigators from the emperor will be asking to examine _Juuchi Yosamu, _we will give them _Juuchi Yosamu_ to examine…"

"…but it won't be the _Juuchi Yosamu_ that I used, it'll be the real one…" Kurotora's eyes lit up in comprehension, "and the real one DOESN'T have remnant ki from that punk Mononobe's blood curse!"

Heihachi gave the young boy a malicious grin, "In other words, this blade can be destroyed without issue, and your deeds will be buried in the annals of history as the work of a random group."

Kurotora chuckled for a moment, before it grew to a full on laugh, "Perfect…perfect…I didn't screw up afterall…"

Heihachi placed a hand on his son's head and looked at him proudly, "Quite the contrary, my son…your actions have put the Tachibana right where they belong…"

* * *

Motoko's wails of despair could be heard throughout the entire Urashima compound, with many sharing in her tears of loss.

A shrine maiden from the Shinmei-ryuu held the young girl as she wept bitterly, her spirit barely holding together in the face of such a profound loss.

"…Sempai…Sempai!…h-how could anyone…?!"

In another room down the hall, a slightly red-eyed Tsuruko sat in front of a kotatsu across from Haruka and Hina, the mug of tea in front of her having gone cold long ago.

"So it's true…the entire clan was wiped out in a single night…" she shook her head as tears threatened to fall again, "Such a horrible tragedy to befall such people."

"It wasn't a just a tragedy, Tsuruko-chan, it was _murder_," Haruka shivered next to the old woman from the frost in her voice, "And at the moment, we have no clue as to who's responsible for it."

"There was no evidence left at the site of the compound?" Tsuruko asked with mild disbelief. She refused to believe anyone could be careful enough to massacre a whole clan and leave no evidence to their identity.

"Whoever pulled this off knew exactly what to do, where to go, and the best way to hit them when they weren't looking," Haruka explained, lighting up another cigarette and taking a quick drag, much to Hina's disapproval, "While there aren't many pros out there that are that thorough, it doesn't really narrow down our list of suspects."

The elegant Aoyama sighed in defeat, "Well this does make things difficult…but you won't be searching alone. As the head of the Shinmei-ryuu and current heir to the Aoyama, I pledge the support of our family. We will not rest until the Mononobe's killers are brought to justice!"

Hina nodded, "I thank you for the support. We will let you know if we get any leads, and I also suggest that you keep an eye and ear out for any suspicious behavior from any of our rivals that may hint at their involvement."

Tsuruko nodded her agreement, and after one last sip of her tea, excused herself to return to the other room and console her heartbroken sister. When she was out of earshot, Haruka gave Hina a side-glance, "You didn't tell her."

Hina sighed and rubbed her temples, trying her best to stave off a headache, "While I know for a fact the Aoyama were not involved in any way with this tragedy, its best that Kyoshiro-kun's survival remain a secret. The murderers are still out there, after all. They may seek to finish the job."

"Let em try," Haruka growled, one hand clenching so tightly, her nails cut into her skin, "I'll take out anyone that tries to hurt him."

Hina placed a hand on Haruka's bleeding fist and gently opened it, "There will be a time for justice, Haru-chan. But we must not lose ourselves to revenge. To do so would only bring about further chaos to us all."

"…tell that to Kyo-kun when he wakes up," Haruka rose and walked out of the room, leaving Hina to mull over her last words.

"…indeed…that will be a difficult mountain to climb…"

* * *

_Fire…all around him, he could see flames rising from the ground, consuming everything in its path. Turning around frantically, he ran in search of his parents, while trying to shut out the sounds of the dying around him._

_"MOM! DAD! SIS! WHERE ARE YOU!" he screamed, nearly choking on the smoke in the air. Turning down one hallway, he found his parent's room and burst into it, the doors flying off their hinges and into the flames within the room._

"_MOM! DA-"_

_His words caught in his throat, eyes widening as tears began to form. On top of a burning futon lay the heads of his mother and father, expressions of pain and anger forever engraved on their faces. The boy fell to his knees and screamed as agony gripped his heart._

"_It's not over yet, little Kyo…you're gonna miss the best part…"_

_Slowly turning around, the boy saw the figure of his hated rival, dressed in all black with his crimson hair flying about wildly, yellow feline-like eyes blazing with malice and hatred. A condescending, victorious smirk was plastered on his face as he held the body of a small girl by the back of her neck._

"_KYO-NIII!" _

"_SAYA-CHAN!"_

_The boy was too slow to react, as the red-headed man drew his sword, a katana with a black blade, and without hesitation plunged it into the little girl's back and through her chest. Her eyes widened as she cried out in pain, before the light in them dimmed. Her last breath came in a whisper._

"…_K-Kyo-nii…"_

_The boy on his knees could only watch as his enemy removed the blade from his last victim, the girl's body stumbling forward before slowly falling forward into his arms. His anguish giving way to an all-encompasing rage, the boy held the body of his sister tightly to him and shot the murderer his worst glare as he roared in rage._

"_KUUUROOOTOOORRRAAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

Kyoshiro's eyes snapped open as he sprang up from the futon, his dark brown eyes darting around the room. It took a moment for him to calm down, unable to recognize his current environment.

"Easy, Kyoshiro-kun…there's no need to fear, you're safe now."

Turning to face the familiar voice, Kyoshiro found the Urashima clan head sitting at the side of his futon, "…H-Hina-sama…" he said in a raspy voice.

Hina could barely hide the overwhelming sadness she felt at seeing the current state of the Mononobe heir. His hair was disheveled, bandages covered parts of his face, and when he sat up, she could see the bandaged stab wound on his stomach. Seeing the boy struggle to remain upright, she placed her hands on his back and chest to support him.

"Be careful Kyoshiro, you're still recovering from your wounds," she admonished, but her words had no bite to them, "It'll be some time before you're back to one hundred percent."

"…how long was I out…" the former heir asked tentatively, doing his best to calm the maelstrom of emotions he felt, "…where am I?"

"To answer your second question, you're at my clan's compound in Tokyo," Hina answered as she discreetly looked over the wounded boy to check for any unattended injuries, "as for your second question…it's been about two weeks since we recovered you from the remains of the Mononobe compound."

Kyoshiro fell silent at her words, taking in the news as best he could. Two weeks. Two weeks since the fire, since the murder of his family. His family…

"…Kurotora…" he whispered softly enough that Hina wasn't able to hear what he'd said.

"What was that, Kyoshiro-kun?" She asked, before nearly jumping back in fright at the animalistic growl that came from the now enraged boy.

"KUROTORA!" Kyoshiro thrashed around, trying to break free of Hina's grip and set out to rip his clan's killers apart, but the old woman was deceptively strong, and kept a firm hold on him.

"Stop Kyoshiro! You're only going to hurt yourself even further!" she ordered, but try as she might, the boy refused to calm down, "Stubborn boy, I…said…CALM DOWN!"

The power in her voice broke through the anger in Kyoshiro's mind, and he slowly came back to his senses, but his eyes still overflowed with hate and pain. Seeing him regain himself, Hina sighed in relief.

"Good boy," she began, "now then…you just yelled Kurotora's name in your little tantrum…am I to presume you mean Kurotora Tachibana?"

Kyoshiro didn't respond, but the clenching of his fists and the way his eyes darkened gave Hina her answer, "…tell me what you can remember from that night."

It took several moments before Kyoshiro began to speak in a dead voice, "…we were celebrating…everyone was hanging around drinking, joking, and just being…happy. Dad had just given me the best present ever…and then _they _came…"

Hina listened with rapt attention as Kyoshiro described the events that transpired when the attack began, from the strange enhancements of the enemy assassins, to seeing Kurotora defile and murder his mother, and finally to seeing Saya struck down and having her die in his arms. Through it all, Kyoshiro seemed lost…as thought everything beautiful in his life was gone. When he finished, Hina took a deep breath before fixing Kyoshiro with a stern look.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Kyoshiro. I must ask though, are you absolutely sure it was Kurotora who was responsible for this? It could have been an imposter."

The boy's eyes narrowed, "I'm certain…he was using a katana with a black blade…his mother's sword, _Juuchi Yosamu_. He stabbed me with it and I stared into his eyes as he pulled it out and left me for dead…" he paused again to take a breath and calm the overwhelming fury of the blood curse within him, "The blade will have remnants of my ki on it…then you'll have your answer."

"I'll send word to the Imperial Court right away about this," Hina's mood became somber, "…we haven't had a formal funeral to lay your family to rest yet…we were waiting for you to wake up. As the last Mononobe, you have full rights to decide what to do with their remains."

The boy looked at his lap, tears slowly beginning to form and drop from his eyes, "…I want them to return to Okinawa…all of them…it was our home…"

The mourning heir could say no more as he succumbed to the grips of anguish, weeping openly before the Urashima clan head. Hina embraced the boy and let him cry on her shoulder, as she struggled to retain her own tears. After several minutes, Kyoshiro leaned back from the embrace, "I'm sorry…Hina-obaasama…I shouldn't have…"

"Weaker men would have lost themselves completely to their sorrow if they had suffered as you have, child," Hina placed a withered hand on the boy's shoulder, "You have NOTHING to be sorry for."

"…thanks…" Kyoshiro replied in a small voice, "…is there anything else you wanna talk to me about?"

"There is, but as you have only just regained consciousness, a few of them can wait until after we lay your clan to rest," reaching behind her, Hina pulled out a black sword bag, "For now, I only wish to return these to you…they were the only weapons we found intact at the ruins."

Shakily reaching out and taking the bag, Kyoshiro untied the string holding it closed peered into it. Inside the bag were two blades: the sky-blue _Yawarakai-te_ he'd inherited, and a longer, slightly heavier blade in a navy blue scabbard. Pulling out the katana from the navy blue scabbard, Kyoshiro noticed the dark silver color of the blade.

"…This is…but how…" he could only examine the blade in shock, unable to grasp how it had survived the hell of that night.

"Kazuya always had a way with forging incredible swords…I think that one was his best work," Hina wiped another tear away from her eyes as she remembered how it was only weeks ago that she'd seen that katana strapped to Kazuya's side as he proudly watched his son do battle in the tournament, "We found it next to what we assume was the remains of his body. While the heads were protected by mysterious circumstances, their bodies unfortunately were lost to the flames. I'm sorry, Kyoshiro-kun."

Kyoshiro didn't respond immediately, only holding his father's sword and the _Yawarakai-te_ gingerly in his hands, both blades feeling heavy with sorrow. Only when Hina called out to him again did the boy turn to face her.

"Sorry, Hina-sama…could you give me a few moments alone…please?" the cresfallen tone of his voice broke Hina's heart, and after hugging him one more time, she rose from her seat and quietly left the room. Moments later, the sounds of bitter sobbing could be heard from the cracks in the door.

* * *

It was about a week later that Kyoshiro was well enough to get out of bed and walk around, but despite being able to go almost anywhere in the compound, he chose to remain in his room. Most of his time was spent stewing over the massacre, meditating to control his blood curse, and looking after his two new blades. The day after his awakening, Hina had gone to the emperor with news of her findings, however she had fabricated a different story regarding how she came across the information, in order to hide Kyoshiro's survival. The emperor had given her leave to take his best detectives to the Tachibana main compound in Rumoi and interrogate the clan.

'_I wonder what they'll do when they discover their treachery…'_ Kyoshiro thought as he sharpened his father's blade. Kazuya had called it _Ginokami (Silver Wolf)_ when he was still alive, and the boy decided to keep the name, and preserve Kazuya's memory.

'_Kurotora WILL die…of that I'm certain…no…' _Kyoshiro's thoughts trailed off for a moment, as his blood rage temporarily spiked, his eyes gaining a small tinge of red, _'No…that whole clan's hatred is what made that bastard…they'll ALL pay…'_ the rage began to bleed more into the boy's eyes, but stopped when a knock came at his door.

"Hey brat, you awake? I brought your breakfast," Haruka's lazy drawl drifted into the room, and Kyoshiro grunted, putting _Ginokami _onto the table he was sitting at and getting up to open the door. The lovely young woman strode inside with a tray containing steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and an odd addition of scrambled eggs. Setting the food on the kotatsu in the middle of the room, Haruka turned to give her distant cousin a blank stare.

"…You know, you really should get out of this room more…no one's seen you in couple days," she said lazily. Kyoshiro paid her no mind, and sat down in front of his food, taking a pair of chopsticks and placing pieces of the scrambled egg into his rice before mixing them together. Haruka raised an eyebrow at his odd action, "huh…never saw anyone mix those two before…"

"…Saya-chan and Dad did this all the time…" he answered softly, eyes on his food as he ate slowly, "Used to annoy the hell outta mom, but then she got into it too…everyone used to think we were weird…"

Haruka shrugged before continuing, "I guess it would be…and you're trying to change the topic. Seriously, you have a whole compound here to explore. Don't boys normally like to go exploring in places they've never been?"

"…you mean like Noriyasu-san?" came the smart remark from Kyoshiro, causing Haruka to blush slightly.

"…yea, kinda like that idiot I guess."

"…I'll pass. Besides, no one's supposed to know I'm alive, right?" Kyoshiro said bitterly as he picked up his bowl of rice and eggs and moved himself back to the desk to resume his work on _Ginokami_. Haruka sighed at his stubbornness and ran a hand through her hair.

"The only ones here at this compound are the same people who found you in that search, along with their families. Actually, at this point I think the only ones in the clan that don't know you're alive are my brother and his family, including Kanako," she paused as she remembered the feisty young girl, "…actually we may wanna tell them sooner or later…I know they were scared out of their minds when they heard about what happened, and I don't wanna know what Kanako may try to do…"

Kyoshiro gave a small snicker, the closest he came to laughing in almost three weeks, "Yea…I guess that would be a problem," he stopped his caretaking of his father's blade as he momentarily remembered the last time he'd seen the over-affectionate young girl. Kanako was two years older than Saya, but the two had gotten along swimmingly. There was no doubt in Kyoshiro's mind that Kanako was devastated at learning Saya's fate.

Haruka took a quick drag from her cancer stick, but before she could continue trying (and failing) to get the boy to go outside for once, a small commotion in the hallway grabbed their attention. They only had to wait a few minutes before Hina appeared in the doorway, a grim, defeated look on her face.

"Kyoshiro-kun…we need to talk."

* * *

From the tone of her voice and the way she stood, the last Mononobe didn't think he'd like what he was about to hear.

He was right.

"WHAT KINDA BULLSHIT IS THAT?!"

Hina rubbed her forehead and leaned back in her office chair as she observed Kyoshiro on the other side of the desk, Haruka standing by her side.

"I know it's difficult to believe, given everything that has happened, but the detectives sent by the emperor are the absolute best, and they found no evidence to support that the Tachibana are in any way connected to the murder of your clan."

"THEY'RE FUCKING LYING! I SAW KUROTORA! I FOUGHT HIM! HE MURDERED MY MOTHER AND SAYA RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!" Kyoshiro fumed, barely containing his outrage as it gnawed at his heart, "ENSUI WAS THE ONE THAT THREW MY FATHER'S HEAD AT MY FEET! AND HELD SAYA CAPTIVE UNTIL THAT MURDERING MOTHERFUCKER KILLED HER!"

"I know you told me that was what you saw, but every member of the Tachibana had a strong alibi. Heihachi said that Kurotora had been away with his cousins training near Fuji, a claim supported by everyone in the area, even those not loyal to the Tachibana."

"They can manipulate ki, dammit! They could disguise themselves as almost ANYONE!" the last Mononobe ranted, crimson beginning to bleed into his eyes, "And what about the sword?! What about_ Juuchi Yosamu_?! There's no way they could remove the remnant ki from it!"

"This is true," Hina began, but before Kyoshiro could capitalize, her next words stopped him cold, "but there _wasn't_ any remnant ki on that blade."

"…what?! Whadayamean?!" he asked frantically, confusion and anger battling within him, "He STABBED me with that blade! While I was all raged out!"

"I know…but we checked the blade ourselves…we even had a ki detection expert from the Aoyama examine it. Not only did it not have the remnant ki you speak of, but it hadn't even been used in decades. Almost a century even." Hina hated having come up to a dead end in the search for the Mononobe's killers, but the lack of evidence was plain as day.

Kyoshiro looked lost, unable to comprehend how Kurotora could have destroyed the evidence of his deed so completely. His fury returned with a vengeance and his eyes narrowed as he looked back to Hina and Haruka, "…then I guess that's it. I'll just have to settle this bullshit myself!" he rose from his chair and made to leave the room.

"You will do no such thing, Kyoshiro Mononobe!"

The order from Hina stopped the boy in his tracks, before he whirled on the Urashima clan head, hatred in his nearly-crimson orbs, "AND WHY THE FUCK NOT!?"

"Because for starters, you foolish boy, you haven't even fully recovered!" Hina met his stare unflinchingly, the strength in her glare almost overpowering the raging boy's, "How could you hope to face any of them when you can't even properly lift your blade?! And even if you could, you'd never be able to reach them anyway…"

At his confused stare, Hina elaborated, "Since the Mononobe clan is no more, the title of Imperial Guardians has now been officially granted to the Tachibana clan, and they quickly stationed their own kin all over the ranks. They have been officially recognized as the protectors and guardians of the Imperial Family. To attack them, let alone slay one of them, would be tantamount to treason of the highest order," the clan head allowed the revelation to sink into Kyoshiro's head for a few moments, continuing when his rage seemed to subside somewhat, "in other words, should you pursue this foolish venture, then not only will you be revealed to have lived, but your clan will be shamed, and you executed as a traitor to your country!"

Kyoshiro's head tilted toward the ground, his hair shadowing his eyes. Hina and Haruka watched him closely to see what he would do. They did nothing as he began shaking, although when they felt his ki begin to rise exponentially, they braced themselves for a violent retaliation.

"…I don't care…about the emperor…" began the boy as he fought the bitter tears trying to let loose from his eyes, "…I don't care…about the law…but for now…" his ki began to settle down, Haruka and Hina sighing in relief, "…I'll abide by what you say. You've taken me in, and kept me safe when there was no one else. For that…and that _alone_, I will heed your words, Urashima-sama."

Hina flinched at the formal title, realizing the boy was infuriated beyond comprehension, and only the honor of his family stopped him from acting out. But she could work with this for now, "Very well. I'm glad to see you're willing to cooperate with us. Rest assured, we will NOT stop until we get down to the bottom of this mystery. Until then however, I must ask a very difficult favor of you…"

Kyoshiro tilted his head back up to give Hina his proper attention, although there was still some red in his eyes, "…I'm listening…"

"As you know, we have claimed that the entire Mononobe clan, including yourself, perished that night. Obviously, this was done for your safety, lest the killers discover your survival and pursue you," the clan head began, pulling out a folder from her desk drawer, "In order to enforce this cover, I've decided to adopt you into the Urashima clan, until such a time comes where you are old enough, and capable enough, to revive your clan."

"I figured as much…and you have my thanks again…" Kyoshiro nodded, but Hina waved a hand, "I'm not finished yet, Kyoshiro-kun. Adopting you was a given, however…in order for this cover to work," the elderly woman took a breath before continuing, praying the boy wouldn't blow a gasket, "I'm afraid we'll have to change several things about you…beginning with your name."

Kyoshiro's thoughts ground to a halt, "…could you run that by me one more time?"

"What granny here didn't tell you yet, was that you're gonna be adopted into my brother's family," Haruka continued where the clan head left off, "In all honesty, you could pass for his son…once you cut and dye your hair. Since he's so removed from clan affairs, living with him is the best option since you'd be out of the limelight."

Hina nodded her thanks to her adopted daughter and picked up where she left off, "It would be easy to pass you off as an orphan who was adopted by my son, since that was how Kanako came under his care, but it will only work if you take the Urashima name as she did."

Kyoshiro's brow furrowed in thought as he retook his seat in front of the desk. On one hand, the idea of losing the name his parents gave to him, even if only temporarily, was a sobering thought. On the other hand, he could understand the need for a cover in order to protect himself, plus as said before, it would only be temporary.

Sighing to himself, feeling drained from the day's events, he nodded, "…alright. I'll take a new name," he answered begrudgingly, "So what am I gonna be called from now on, so I know what to answer to?"

Hina thought to herself for a moment, "Hmm…let's see…what to call my new errant grandson…" the clan head made a show of choosing a name, causing a tic mark to appear on Kyoshiro's head, "let's go with…Keitaro. Keitaro Urashima."

"Has a nice ring to it," Haruka complimented before giving Kyoshiro, now Keitaro, a lazy smirk, "I always wanted a little nephew to bug."

"First off…it sounds like you're combining two names for no reason, but whatever," a spark of the old Kyoshiro returned as he gave Haruka a smirk of his own, "and second off, that means I get to call you Haruka-obasan…nice to see you embracing your age."

Steam flew from Haruka's ears as her face turned red, but whether that was from embarrassment or anger, no one really knew. Regardless, Hina decided to nip that fight in the bud before the two youngsters came to blows in her office.

"Now that that's over, we have just one more final bit of business to take care of," she got out of her chair and walked around the desk to stand before Kyoshiro. Seeing her get up prompted to the boy to rise from his seat as well, and when the old woman reached out and gently grabbed his hands, he knew in his heart what that last bit business was. Nevertheless, her words still reopened the raw wound in his heart.

"…saying goodbye to your family."

* * *

The funeral of the Mononobe clan took place close to a month after they were killed. Since the majority of them had been burnt, almost no special care was needed to preserve the bodies, and Kyoshiro had decided to have all of their remains cremated per family tradition, and their ashes spread across the plot of land where the compound once stood in Okinawa.

The Aoyamas sent Tsuruko and Motoko as their representatives to pay their respects, and all throughout the ceremony, the younger Aoyama's eyes streamed tears as she watched the ceremonial rites for the dead. She was unaware that her sempai was alive, but in a different part of the compound altogether.

Far from the main funeral ceremony, Kyoshiro, garbed in a sharp black suit, laid the urn with the ashes of his father, mother, and sister into its grave. He had found the untouched circle where he'd knelt and nearly died himself that night: the wood paneling had long been removed, leaving only a perfect circle of dirt. Covering the hole in the center where the urn now lay, Kyoshiro erected a makeshift shrine to house the effects he'd brought with him. Along with _Yawarakai-te _and _Ginokami_, the Urashima scouts had managed to recover a few other items: two jeweled combs that would adorn Saya's hair at official functions, two sets of elaborate hair pins worn by Sakuya, and the ceremonial tanto that once belonged to Kazuya, presented to him by the emperor as a reward for his work as an Imperial Guardian.

Of the two sets of his mother and sister's belongings, Kyoshiro had kept one, while the others would rest with their former owners. The tanto, however, was in his hands as he knelt before the temporary shrine he'd made, his head tilted down shadowing his eyes.

"Father…Mother…Saya-chan…forgive me for taking so long to return here, and for taking even longer to put you to rest…a lotta things have happened since that night…"

The mourning heir paused, tears falling slowly down his cheeks as he gathered himself to continue, "the Urashima have been really good to me…they took me in, officially. For now, I'm gonna go by the name Keitaro Urashima, in order to keep me safe…but I promise…I won't EVER forget my real name…the name you gave me…"

He trembled, clenching his hands into tight fists as the rage and sorrow he felt that night came rushing back, and threatened to consume him, "…and I also won't forget the bastards who did this. I told Hina that I would cooperate and not go after them…that was a lie…"

"I know that I'm still not at full strength…it'll be a while before I am…but when I am…I'll start learning the advanced techniques in the family scrolls that Hina-obaasama has…and I'll make the Tachibana answer for this…"

The last Mononobe began stripping his upper garments, until his chest was bare. Unsheathing the tanto, he looked at the golden blade for a moment, before gripping it and carving a kanji into his chest. The process took a few minutes, his hand steady, and resolve firm, refusing to let the pain of the blade slicing his flesh deter him from his task. When he was finished, he eyed the bloody blade before resheathing it and placing it in front of the shrine. Putting one hand to the fresh wound over his heart, he let the blood smear his palm before using one finger to paint the same kanji on the plot of land where the urn was buried before the shrine.

"On this blood, before this grave, I pledge to every God, every deity…" he began, his hair still shadowing his eyes and blowing gently in the wind, "to wipe out the Tachibana clan. I promise you, Mom, Dad, Saya…I'll kill em all…whatever it takes!"

The wind stopped blowing and all of nature went silent in that moment as Kyoshiro finished his pledge. Having said his peace, the Mononobe heir rose from the ground, and bowed his head, "So watch over me from now on…until I join you on the other side…" fighting the urge to weep, the boy said one last goodbye, before picking up his discarded shirt and jacket, and walking to the other side of the island.

Absorbed in his thoughts and his sorrow, Kyoshiro did not notice the figure in the shadows, a woman with fiery red hair and midnight-blue eyes, who had been watching him as he paid his respects and made his blood pledge. When Kyoshiro was out of eyeshot, the woman stepped towards the shrine, and took notice of the kanji on the shrine. From her position, she hadn't been able to see what he'd carved onto his chest. When she read what was written on the grave, however, she gasped, eyes widening as she whispered its meaning:

"_T…__**Tenchū (Divine Retribution)**__"_

* * *

**Author's Note - **First, my sincerest apologies for such a HUGE chapter. I wanted to make it shorter, or possibly cut it in two, but I wanted to get the foundation chapter done in one go. Rest assured, the rest of the chapters should be nowhere NEAR this long. If you read through the whole thing, kudos and thanks so much! Please feel free to leave reviews, but what I said about flames in the prologue stands...and trust me, I'm an engineer. I can pull that off a lot easier than you think.

Next chapter should be out in a week or two if i don't get too bogged down.


	3. A Mysterious Summons

**Disclaimer -** I don't own Love Hina.

* * *

**Chapter II – A Mysterious Summons**

_He was surrounded by the familiar scene of flames licking at the walls and consuming the wooden floors and tatami mats of his home. All around him, the screams and groans of the dying echoed like a broken record, the cacophony of their agony seared into his memory. At the edge of his vision, demonic assassins flittered about in the shadows, slicing his clansmen to pieces before they even knew they were being attacked._

"…_stop…get away from them…" he whispered, even though he knew that the fate of his family was sealed. His mind was an unwilling passenger along for the ride as his body ran through the burning halls to find __**that**__ room. He got to the doors in record time, kicking them off their hinges and bursting inside to lay witness to the sight that continued to haunt him._

"…_Mom…Dad…" his voice broken and defeated, he turned to see their murderer, the red haired demon with cat-like yellow eyes and a malevolent smirk on his face as he looked upon his handiwork in triumph. _

"_Just in time for the best part, little Kyo…"_

_Before his eyes, the fatally wounded body of his sister walked towards him, before falling inert into his arms. He wasn't able to hold in his anguish any longer, and screamed until his throat became hoarse, before glaring at the killer._

"_K….KUROTORRAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

Keitaro's dark brown eyes flipped open, his breaths coming in pants as he looked around him. The first thing he noticed was the mass of black hair obstructing his vision, and the scent of wildflowers filling his nose. His attention then fell on the warm body holding itself to him tightly. Having grown familiar with this situation, the young man sighed and gently removed the lithe, feminine arms that had wrapped around his waist. Luckily, he didn't wake the young woman from her slumber, and was able to slip on his house slippers before leaving the quiet bedroom.

Making his way to the bathroom, Keitaro rubbed his eyes and yawned, cataloging in his mind what he'd planned for the day.

'…_school…study for a bit…and then…'_

He paused in the hallway for a moment before a dark look came across his eyes, only to disappear as quickly as it came. Entering the bathroom, he went to brush his teeth before stripping from his sleepwear and going into the shower stall. Ten minutes later saw the young man drying himself off before he noticed his reflection in the mirror.

Four years had brought a few changes to Keitaro Urashima. He'd grown taller, topping off at 183cm, and his vigorous training had shaped his body into that of a lean athlete, with dense, well-defined muscles capable of explosive speed and power. His raven-colored hair was cut much shorter, resembling that of his late father, Kazuya, but instead of lying flat, it was spiked up all over. His eyes landed on the scar over his heart, the kanji that represented the promise he'd made to his dead family. Oddly enough, it still bore an angry red coloring, as though it had never healed. In the past, there were even instances that it had opened up and bled as if freshly carved. As he continued to gaze at the scar, he heard a knock at the door.

"Onii-chan, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," Kanako said to him through the door, "…you could've woken me up, you know. I wouldn't have minded…"

"I know…and I thought I told you last time to stop sneaking into my room at night," Keitaro said as he opened the door to speak to his fellow adoptee face to face, "I coulda sworn I locked it this time…"

Kanako's eyes widened a fraction as she took in the sight of her adopted brother shirtless with a pair of loose sweats hanging from his hips. She quickly schooled her features before she could start drooling, "…you did…I picked the lock...you should know better by now, you're my favorite pillow…"

The dark young girl trailed off, seeing a slightly haunted look come across Keitaro's face, "O-oh, I sorry! I forgot-"

"It's ok Kana-chan," Keitaro waved off her apology, his face going back to normal, "just…don't sneak into my room to sleep with me anymore…seriously, Saigo-san and Nao-san already worry enough about you as it is…"

Keitaro walked back to his room, shutting the door before changing into his school uniform: simple black slacks, a white dress shirt with black tie, and a black blazer with the school logo on the left breast pocket. Exiting the room, he went downstairs to the kitchen, where a middle-aged man with messy brown hair, brown eyes, and five-o-clock shadow sat at the table reading the morning paper, while his wife, a lovely woman with long dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, set the plates out for breakfast.

"Good morning, Saigo-ji, Nao-san."

Saigo looked up from his paper and gave his adopted son a small grin, "Good morning to you too, Kei-kun. Hard time getting up today?"

"No harder than usual," Keitaro told his foster father, electing not to spill anything about Kanako's shenanigans, "It's always harder for me to get up during the winter…hibernation and all that."

The man laughed, "I hear ya! But look at the bright side, it's almost vacation time, and then one more term before graduation!"

Keitaro sat down with a sad smile, having completely forgotten that he'd be graduating from high school in another few months. It was a milestone that his parents had been eager for him to reach when they'd been alive, and now that it was happening, the young man just didn't feel that excited for it.

A plate being placed in front of him brought Keitaro out of his state of melancholy, "Oh, thanks, Nao-san," he nodded to his foster mother, who smiled and gave him a small kiss on his head.

"You're very welcome, Kei-kun, but how many times have I told you not to address me so formally?" she pouted while lightly admonishing the young man, "You call Saigo 'Saigo-ji'…"

Keitaro had the decency to blush, "Uh…sorry…Nao-nee?"

"Much better!"

Saigo shook his head in amusement at the scene, before greeting Kanako who'd just sat at the table, "And how was your night, Kanako-chan?"

"Good as always, although it could've been a bit better," she slyly looked over to Keitaro, who was busy chewing on his toast. He was able to hide nearly choking on the bread at his sister's sultry tone.

'…_that girl…is gonna be the death of me…'_

The siblings finished their breakfast quickly, and bade goodbye to their parents before putting on their shoes and setting out to school. As they made their way to the bus stop, Keitaro looked around the neighborhood lazily.

The Urashimas lived on the outskirts of Hinata, a scenic little town that faced Sagami Bay in the Kanagawa Prefecture. It wasn't that far from Tokyo, but it was out of the way enough for Saigo, who'd opted to live a life of peace and obscurity rather than inherit the leadership of the Urashima clan. This ended up working out perfectly for Keitaro, who'd needed to live far away from anyone who could recognize him.

Glancing up at her brother, and noticing something out of place, Kanako sighed and tapped him on the arm, "Onii-chan…you forgot to fix your hair again."

"Huh?" Keitaro pulled a lock down and noticed it was still black. Oops. "Huh…guess I did…"

"I have a couple costumes with me since we have that musical in school coming up," the young woman gestured to the backpack slung over her shoulders, "I could lend you one of the wigs for the day…"

"No, it's fine, I got it," Keitaro replied, and just as Kanako was about to question him, her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as the man's hair literally _morphed_ from black to dark brown, matching Saigo's hair color perfectly. The color of his eyebrows copied the change moments later.

"…you learned that Iga clan technique that lets you alter your hair color using ki, didn't you." It was more of a statement than a question. Keitaro gave the girl a small smirk for an answer, "…I get dibs on it next."

"Maybe…I still have a while to go before I can make the change last without focusing so much on it," the two soon arrived the bus stop, waiting for a few minutes before hopping on the next bus that showed up. It was a leisurely forty-five minute ride into the heart of Hinata, where their schools were located. As they thanked the driver and departed the bus, Kanako was about to head off when Keitaro placed a hand on her shoulder.

"…are you going to be home early tonight? I'll need your help with _that_…"

"…no problem. I'll finish my chores at school quickly and head straight back."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. Take care Kana-chan."

The pair hugged and Keitaro kissed the girl on her forehead before walking off towards his school, leaving Kanako staring at his back, a small smile on her face as she gently touched the spot where he'd briefly placed his lips.

'_Onii-chan…'_

* * *

Keitaro was greeted with the usual sight when he reached his classroom: girls clustered together in small groups as they gossiped about their adventures from the past weekend, the jocks hanging out together laughing boisterously and joking around, and other students just milling about, listening to music or reading to pass the time before homeroom began.

Taking his seat at a desk next to the windows, the young swordsman set his bag on the floor next to his chair and took out a small journal. Leaning back casually in his seat, he opened the journal with one hand, eyes glancing over the notes and news clippings pasted inside. They were all written about something regarding the Imperial Family…or to be more specific, the Imperial Guardians.

His gaze skimmed along the pages, reacquainting himself with the results of several years of research. The lone Mononobe had long since committed to memory the entire structure of the Tachibana: the ancient clan was comprised of ten pure blood families, or 'pillars', with small subsets and branches of mixed-blood relatives. Heihachi Tachibana's family had been the acting lead pillar for several generations, with the other nine deferring to them. On the chart that listed the ten main families, four of them were crossed out, with newspaper articles next to them detailing the mysterious deaths of all their members. Keitaro smirked as he reread them, a glint of triumph in his eyes.

'…_four__ down…soon to be five…'_

As he continued to read and plan out his next actions, a feminine voice called out to him.

"Keitaro-san!"

Looking up from his book, Keitaro saw the approach of a very attractive girl with long, light brown hair and two 'antennae' sticking up from the front. The school uniform did a poor job of hiding her amazing figure, as it accentuated her curves and left much of her long, creamy legs on display. The young man lifted his free hand and gave the girl a dull wave, "Yo."

"Don't just 'Yo' me, mister! Where were you over the weekend? We were supposed to study for the practice exams!," the girl scolded, her large brown eyes narrowing as she pouted at her study partner.

"…that was supposed to be last weekend?" Keitaro asked before putting the journal down on his desk and looking up at the ceiling in thought, cringing when he actually remembered his promise, "…oh yea…it was. Geez, I'm a frickin idiot…"

The young woman's pout grew more pronounced, "That's all you have to say? I waited for hours at the library for you! What happened? Did something come up last minute again?"

Keitaro had the decency to look a bit remorseful, "Couldn't be helped, but I should've called to let you know. Sorry, Naru-san."

Naru Narusegawa sighed and shook her head before pulling out the chair at the desk in front of Keitaro's and turning it to face him, sitting down after taking off her bag and making herself comfortable, "I guess I'll let you off the hook…this was the first time you actually bailed without telling me. Just don't do it again. It'd suck if I had to kick my study-buddy to the curb because he was being a jerk."

"I'll try not to miss out again, Naru-san" Keitaro apologized, earning a nod and a wide grin from the lovely young woman across from him. Returning the smile with an amused shake of his head, the young man found himself reminiscing on how they met.

When he'd first arrived to Hinata, Keitaro had resolved not to bother with making friends and focus solely on his mission, and throughout the remainder of his junior high school years, he'd adhered to that promise pretty well. While he remained courteous and civil towards his fellow classmates, he avoided getting too close to any of them, always remaining at arms' length and earning the reputation of a loner amongst his peers. His teachers had been worried about his introverted behavior, but since he scored nothing but A's in all of his courses, they'd left him alone. The young swordsman had intended to continue this trend in high school…until the day he crossed paths with Naru Narusegawa and her best friend, Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno.

Keitaro had first run into them in the middle of his sophomore year, when the two had really been earning the attention of the male population in their grade. Naru was an ethereal beauty even back then, and Kitsune was her high-strung, but well-meaning sidekick. Like the rest of the guys in his grade, the young swordsman had recognized the physical appeal of the two (what pure-blooded male wouldn't?), but he'd remained steadfast in his desire not to get close to anyone, and had done his best to avoid them. It wasn't until the second term of junior year that his trend would be broken, when he'd had a chance encounter with Naru at the school library. He almost didn't believe his eyes, as originally the lovely young girl had been a slightly below average student, preferring to zone out and daydream over paying attention in class or studying. But after the tutoring she received the previous summer, she diligently worked her way up to become one of the top students in their class.

One day, when Keitaro had opted to study for an upcoming Calculus exam, he'd spotted Naru occupying his favorite table in the rear corner of the library. It was isolated from everyone else, and it was next to a window that gave a nice view of the city proper. Thinking about finding another table for a moment, the young man simply shrugged and sat down across from the girl, who didn't even notice his presence until he plopped a textbook open on the table and began taking notes.

"…Calculus?" she asked tentatively. Keitaro grunted in reply before glancing at the book in front of the studious girl, "History?"

"Yea…big exam at the end of the week."

The pair went silent after that, absorbed in their notes and flashcards. A couple hours went by before Naru heard the boy curse softly.

"Dammit! Stupid Pythagorean theorem!"

Looking over at his paper, she noticed he'd written the formula the wrong way, "Hey, I think that variable should go on the other side of the equation. You might have better luck that way."

Keitaro looked up at her for a moment, before nodding and moving the variable, "Huh…it does work. Thanks-" he began before noticing she was looking at her notes in frustration, "…something wrong?"

"I can't remember this one thing that the professor was grilling us about regarding the Imperial Family…it's the date that Emperor Meiji wrote the decree for that Decennial Tournament or something…"

"…November 14, 1870."

Naru looked up at the boy, slightly shocked that he knew such an obscure date off the top of his head. Looking through her text book, she found he was right on the dot.

"…that's exactly it," she said, giving the boy an impressed look, "how'd you know?"

Keitaro's smile didn't meet his eyes as he answered, "My family schools me a lot on history…or at least my grandmother does…slave-driving old windbag…"

Naru giggled quietly at the boy's 'description' of his elder, before reaching a hand over to him, "I don't think I caught your name. I'm Naru, Narusegawa Naru."

"Urashima Keitaro," he reached his own hand over and gently shook hers, "it's a pleasure."

Naru gave the boy a quick smile and went back to studying, feeling more at ease with her current company. Keitaro also felt a bit calmer as he continued his own work. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, they would occasionally help each other when something was a bit too difficult to figure out on their own, and it wasn't until the sun began to set that they finally left the library, feeling mentally drained, but satisfied.

"So do you come here to study often?" Naru asked the boy next to her as they walked out of the front entrance to the library. Keitaro gave her a nod, "Yea, I usually come after school to study for a few hours before heading back home. Sometimes I have to leave early to go pick up my sister, though."

Naru nodded as they approached the corner of the street, "Well, I have to head down this way," she said before looking back at Keitaro, "Are you gonna be at the library again tomorrow?"

"No reason I shouldn't be…for now anyway," the boy said while giving a small smile, one that Naru returned.

"Cool! I'll see ya tomorrow then!" the young girl waved before walking towards the bus stop. Keitaro returned the wave and headed in the opposite direction to the spot where he'd meet up with Kanako. The following day saw the two meeting up again to study, as did the day after that. Before long, they had developed a routine (that was occasionally crashed by the prankster Kitsune), and a friendship was born against Keitaro's initial wishes. These days, however, he couldn't really say he regretted how things had turned out all that much.

* * *

At the final bell, the students rose quickly from their seats, rushing about and grabbing their belongings as they headed out, either to after-school activities or their homes. Keitaro took his time packing up before joining Naru at the door, the two scholarly students making a beeline for the library. Settling themselves in their favorite spot, they took out their books and began their normal studying ritual.

"Hey, what was that book you were reading earlier?" Naru brushed a hair to the side as she looked curiously at her study partner. Keitaro looked up from his homework assignment and answered, "Nothing really…just an old journal. Why do you ask?"

The lovely young woman looked down at the table, a small blush adorning her cheeks, "N-no reason, really. I just notice that you have it with you all the time…I got curious."

Keitaro laughed a bit, causing Naru's face to redden a bit more, "It's alright. I guess I kinda have been reading it a lot lately," his smile became a bit sad as he continued, "it's a bit personal though. I'll tell you about it another day."

The girl nodded, thankful she hadn't offended her friend with her intrusive question, before going back to work. The two study partners only took a couple of hours to finish their respective assignments, and before long, they were walking down the usual path leading to the bus stop.

"It's a shame you live on the other side of Hinata," Naru sighed as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the cold breeze, "it'd be kinda cool if you could come to my dorm to study…provided the other girls didn't mind of course."

Keitaro smiled and shook his head, "Thanks for the offer, but something tells me that'd be more trouble than it's worth…_especially _since Kitsune lives there too."

"Yea, I guess that would be a problem," Naru laughed as they approached the corner, "well, here's my stop. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Keitaro was about to answer yes, but then remembered his plans for that evening, "Actually, I'll probably be absent from school tomorrow. Family function that I have to go to all day, but if I finish up early, I'll meet you at the library to study."

"I see," the girl looked a bit downtrodden at hearing he'd be absent from school, but perked back up at his promise to come to the library if he could, "Well then I guess I'll see ya at the library if you can make it."

Keitaro nodded and was about to wave goodbye, when Naru surprised him with a quick hug, "…well this is new…I thought you believed guys were all perverts and you'd never touch one in a million years," he joked as he returned the embrace.

"Tch…I still do," the young woman answered as they let each other go, "you're just the exception, since you're my friend. You should be honored," she tilted her head up in a mock-aristocratic way, getting a chuckle out of the young swordsman.

"You're impossible, Naru-san," Keitaro said, a wide grin appearing on Naru's face, before the two waved their goodbyes and split up. Keitaro walked a few more blocks until he came to the bus that would bring him home. Once he boarded it and took a seat, his eyes became hard as his mind became focused on what was to come.

'…_tonight's the night…'_

* * *

After a light training session and a short dinner with his foster family, Keitaro returned to his room, putting his ear to the door for a few moments. He paid close attention to the ambient noises in the house, making sure no one was on the second floor, before going to a corner of his room and kneeling in front of an empty space on the floor. With quick fingers, he silently moved a few of the floor panels aside and pulled out a large black case from the secret compartment. Lifting its lid up, he examined its contents.

Inside was an elegant katana sheathed in a navy-blue scabbard; _Ginōkami_, his father's old blade. Also within the case was a box of kunai, several spools of high-tensile wire, scaling claws, and a case filled with vials of a dark blue substance. Gently, Keitaro lifted _Ginōkami _from the box and placed on his futon beside him, before also removing a spool of wire, the scaling claws, and one of the strange vials. Closing the box and placing it back in its hiding spot, the young man slid the floor boards back into place and walked over to his closet. Rifling through the inside, he withdrew a dark grey hakama and gi, as well as a long, dark blue scarf.

After a quick examination of the garments, the young swordsman quickly changed into the outfit, leaving the scarf for last on his futon. As he finished tying his belt, a soft knock sounded at the door.

"Onii-chan, it's me," Kanako whispered through the door. Keitaro glided over and opened the door, Kanako quickly entering before he closed it again. In her hands was a small bag filled with her mask-making supplies.

"I have what you asked for," she said as she took a seat on the futon next to _Ginōkami_, "What features do you want for the mask?"

Keitaro sat across from her, his sharp eyes locked onto her own, "red hair, a smaller nose, and grey eyes. And a couple scars on the cheeks, just in case the scarf comes off."

"Understood," Kanako took the supplies from the bag and went to work crafting an elaborate mask for her beloved brother. When she finished, she picked it up and carefully placed it on and around Keitaro's head. Once she fixed the wig in place, she moved back and saw a stranger's face, false grey eyes concealing the stern brown ones she loved to get lost in, "It's done. As long as you're careful, that mask should last you for the night."

"You're a lifesaver, Kanako," Keitaro thanked her as he stood up and fixed _Ginōkami_ in place at his waist. Putting the scaling claws, vial, and wire inside a pocket within his gi, the now red-haired swordsman wrapped the blue scarf around his face, covering his mouth, nose, and the top of his head while letting the fake red hair flow freely behind him. Satisfied with his preparations, Keitaro walked over to the window and stepped onto the ledge.

"I should be back by early morning," he said as he turned to face Kanako, "If I'm running late, I'll contact you."

"Got it," she answered softly, before staring into his eyes with a slightly pleading expression, "Onii-chan, won't you let me…"

"…we've been thru this, Kana-chan," the young man sighed before getting down from the ledge and kneeling in front of his sister, "I don't want this life for you…this is _my_ mission…_my Tenchuu_…I can't let anyone else be responsible for it but me."

Kanako grimaced, fighting the tears of frustration that threatened to leave her eyes as she reluctantly nodded, "…ok then…I'll be here when you get back," a sharp pain went through Keitaro's chest after hearing his pseudo-sister's somber tone.

Giving the girl one last hug, he hopped onto the window sill and out into the night. As he ran across the rooftops, his tabi boots silent against the clay tiles as he moved, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket. On it was a small note:

Target Location: Joga Island, Miura.

* * *

The train ride to his destination had been uneventful for the most part. Due to his outfit, Keitaro had to stick to the roof of the train using his scaling claws in order to keep out of sight. After about an hour and a half, he'd reached Joga Island and quickly took to the rooftops. His target would be visiting the medical lab facility that the Tachibana had erected on the island after the assumed the role of Imperial Guardians. Before long, the young swordsman reached a cluster of nondescript buildings by the port. Walking up to the ledge, he took out a pair of binoculars he'd managed to find in his room and looked up the road.

A couple miles away, he spotted a small motorcade heading his way: a few men on motorcycles surrounding two cars. The motorcade stopped in front of the medical building across the street from the one where the swordsman stood watching. Through the lens of his binoculars, Keitaro was able to make out several people, all of whom had either the red hair or the yellow eyes synonymous with the Tachibana clan. Among the throng of people, he spotted his target.

"There you are…"

"And here I thought you'd miss him again…"

Anger flared in Keitaro's chest as he put down the binoculars and turned around to face the newcomer on the roof. Standing across from him was a woman who shared the same crimson hair as he did, though hers was actually real, and midnight blue eyes that were giving him a mischievous, appraising look. She was dressed in a dark green kimono-like shirt that was slightly open, revealing the bandages that tied down her very generous chest, and tight black leggings that clung to her long, slender legs like a second skin. High-heeled boots finished her ensemble, along with a wakizashi sheathed in a dark green scabbard slung across the small of her back.

"…Tachibana…" Keitaro greeted coldly, his senses on alert as if expecting an attack. Considering who it was standing on the roof with him it was very likely.

"…Mononobe…" she replied lazily, a mirthful expression on her face, "still so cautious around me? You really know how to make a girl feel welcome," she teased.

"Forgive me if I don't exactly take too well to someone with the blood of my clan's murderers," he answered, turning back to watch his prey enter the medical facility. The mysterious woman walked forward and stood next to him, eyeing the boy before turning to observe the gathering taking place down below.

"They've added a bit more security this time. Your last excursion got em spooked," the woman informed him, using one hand to move her hair out of her face, "you'll have your work cut out for you this time…even with your _talents_…"

"The extra guards won't make a difference," Keitaro placed the binoculars back into his gi and moved to the ledge of the roof, "why are you here anyway, Kimiko?"

Kimiko Tachibana answered with a sly smirk, "…maybe I just wanted to see my favorite little avenger in action? Or maybe I missed you…"

Keitaro's eyes narrowed again as he gave Kimiko a hard look, "…don't play with me, woman. You know how this all ends…"

"And I look forward to the day you have the balls to try," she replied with a predatory grin, turning her back on the young swordsman, "So what's your plan for getting in there, anyway?"

When she didn't get an answer, the buxom Tachibana turned back around, only to see an empty rooftop ledge. Shaking her head, she sauntered towards the steps.

"That boy _really_ needs to loosen up…"

* * *

At the entrance to the facility, two Tachibana clan members stood watching the roads and pathways for any unwanted guests. Over the past few years, four of their pillars had been systematically wiped out, with the culprit getting away every time. Granted, they were weaker than the remaining 6 pillars, as per their ranking in the clan. Nevertheless, Heihachi had seen the need to step up precautions.

"…so did you see that kumite at the underground last night?" the guard to the right asked his partner, who was busy admiring the work done on his wakizashi, "I'm tellin ya, this one guy was frickin beast! Took down 30 dudes 'fore he was ko'ed."

"You fuckin serious? Damn, I had to stay in and take care of the old lady. She been sick fer awhile," answered the other guard as he placed his elegantly crafted blade back into its scabbard, "It's been a fucking drag, bro…since she's stuck in bed, I can't do anything…no clubs…no 'company'…hell I can't even fucking drink. Shit blows, man."

The other guard sniggered in amusement as they continued their watch. By now, the moon had come out from behind the clouds, its eerie red light grabbing their attention.

"Harvest moon tonight…kinda freaky…" the left guard trailed off, his eyes widening in fright. His partner, noticing his silence, stopped admiring the moon to look at him, "Oi, whasa mattah?"

The Tachibana guard didn't reply verbally, instead raising his arm to point at the beginning of the pathway. Walking towards them at a slow pace was a single man, garbed in dark grey clothing that allowed him to blend in with the dark, his head wrapped in a dark blue scarf. What stuck out the most to them though was the unknown's long red hair that gently flew about in the breeze.

"…he has red hair…maybe it's one of ours?" the guard on the left asked, fear creeping into his voice. His partner drew his wakizashi and pointed it at the strange man, "You! Hold it right there! We ain't heard a thing about extra security! Who the fuck are you?!"

Before either of them could react, the stranger drew his sword from his waist and dashed forward with god-like speed. Appearing in front of them, the stranger sliced the guard on the left, opening a fatal gash in his throat, before ducking under the clumsy slash of the last guard and slicing upward, opening the Tachibana's chest. Blood sprayed from the wound like a fountain as the man gasped his last breath before falling to the ground. Seeing that the guard whose throat he'd sliced open was still alive, Keitaro turned his blade downward and plunged it into the man's head, ending his suffering.

"…two down…there should be about eighteen more inside…" he said to himself before removing the scaling claws from his gi. Placing them on, the young assassin began climbing up the side of the building. The bricks that made up the walls were old, but still firm enough to provide a good anchor for the claws. Within minutes, he'd reached the rooftop and set about looking for the ventilation system. Finding it a few yards away, he walked over to the main intake valve.

"…time to see if this still works," Keitaro whispered as he pulled out the vial of dark blue liquid. Popping it open, he began to channel his ki into the substance, creating a chain reaction that turned the liquid into gas. As it wafted out of the vial, the avenger placed the vial in front of the intake valve, his gaze directed on the gas being absorbed into the ventilation system. Moments later, the vial was empty and the gas was being circulated throughout the building.

'_Last time it took about thirty minutes to kick in,'_ he thought as he sat down and examined his leftover tools, _'all that's left to do now is wait'_

* * *

Oblivious to Keitaro's actions outside, the VIPs from the motorcade continued their walk down the halls of the lab facility. On their way they passed several different rooms housing the infamous ki experiments of the Tachibana. One member of the group had his eye on one room where the doctors were experimenting on a new ki-enhancement formula. The subject's eyes turned white as he was injected with the new formula, an elated grin appearing on his face.

When the large group reached their destination, a man with short red hair and piercing blue eyes heading the contingent raised a hand, "Genshiro, Taka, Yuri, Hatake, you four spread the others out, then wait here and guard the door. Suzume and Akira are coming with me. No one else gets in, understand?"

"As you say, Amagai-sama," the lead bodyguard, Genshiro, bumped a fist against his chest in salute, before he and the other guards got into position. After watching the guards a bit, Amagai Tachibana knocked on the door and waited a moment. Receiving a feeble 'Come In' from inside, he opened the door to let his wife and son enter before following, locking the door once he got in.

"Mikamura-sensei…it's been a while," Amagai greeted as he shook hands with the elderly scientist. Mikamura bowed, "It truly has, Amagai-sama. You're looking well," he turned to the tall, red-haired woman next to him, "and you as well, Suzume-dono," he said before gently taking her hand and kissing the top of it, eliciting a giggle from the woman.

"You're such a flatterer, Mikamura-sensei," Suzume said as she sat down, her elegant kimono ruffling a bit as her emerald eyes took in the doctor's office. It was a mostly empty room with only a desk, a futon, some chairs and a few bookshelves. The window was boarded up, dimming the room further. The one fluorescent light above flickered every so often, though not enough to cause a problem.

Mikamura walked over to the last member of the group, Amagai's teenage son, "And how have you been doing, Akira-sama?"

The red-headed boy with bright blue eyes smirked, "Pretty good, Mikamura-sensei!" Akira looked up at his father, who smiled back at him, "Father's gonna start teaching me assassination techniques soon…I can't wait to start kicking ass!"

"Now, now Akira, you must remember discretion," his father chided lightly, "true assassins don't broadcast their abilities after all…"

Akira pouted but nodded his head and took a seat next to his mother at the side of the room, while Amagai sat in the plush chair in front of the doctor's desk. "So I believe you already know why we are here…"

"Indeed I do," answered the doctor as he went into one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a black canister with several warning labels, "it took quite some time to synthesize the formula correctly, but I believe we've finally perfected our _Yoru no Shukufuku_. I know Heihachi-sama has been relentless in his demands for it."

"That he has. After the…_successful test run_, he's been very pleased with your work," Amagai's face held a sinister smile as he recalled that night, "Those of us who took part in putting those dogs down four years ago were also extremely impressed. Since then, I've never felt as alive as I did when it was active."

"I'm just glad you were able to come back alive and without any serious damage to your ki reserves," Mikamura answered back as he handed the canister to the taller Tachibana, "I believe the worst you and the others suffered was fatigue for a few days, yes?"

Akira answered for his father, "He was bedridden for maybe a day or two, but after that he was fine. Better than fine actually, right Father?"

"More or less," Amagai's face scrunched in thought, "My ki reserves did seem a bit bigger, but the excess left after a few days."

Mikamura nodded, "As it should. Since that ki was produced by the _Yoru no Shukufuku_, it could not remain in the body for long, or else it would start to poison you. Your body naturally filtered it out since it was such a small amount," he eyed the canister in Amagai's hands for a moment, "with this new batch however, that problem should be eliminated."

"I'll get this to Heihachi-sama immediately," Amagai rose from his seat, Suzume and Akira following suit, "We'll be in touch, Mikamura-sensei. Do take care, and don't be a stranger to the compound."

"Of course, Amagai-sama," Mikamura nodded, and proceeded to walk to the door. When he opened it, however, he jumped back in fright as Genshiro's body almost fell on top of him, "Ack! What is this?!"

Looking around, the doctor and his guests noticed it wasn't just the bodyguards, but _everyone _in the facility was on the ground, lying deathly still. Squinting his eyes and enhancing them a bit with his ki, Mikamura could make out the faint blue haze that covered the area.

"…get back in the office…" he whispered urgently, his eyes now wide with terror, "get back in the office now!"

Amagai pulled Suzume and Akira inside, but not before accidentally getting a whiff of the haze himself. The minute the door was closed, the head of the 6th Tachibana pillar family's eyes widened, his breathing almost coming to a complete stop before he crumpled to the ground.

"W-what…is…this?! I-I c-c-can't…move…" Amagai struggled as his body rebelled against him, Suzume crying in fear as she watched her husband's body shut down, while Akira looked on, too stunned to even think of a way he could help.

Mikamura quickly knelt down to the ailing man, "I know these symptoms…they're almost exactly the same as our own paralysis formula," the old man explained, his voice a mix of awe and dread, "but this one is far more problematic…it's beginning to make his windpipe constrict, cutting off his air supply… Amagai-sama may not have long…"

"Can't you do something, Mikamura-sensei?!" Suzume was frantic as she knelt beside her husband's paralyzed body, her heart breaking at the panic in her husband's eyes.

"I-if I can get a sample of his blood, I-I should be able to-"

"Don't bother...none of you are leaving here alive..."

Mikamura, Suzume, and Akira quickly turned to the door, and their faces paled in horror all at once. Standing in the doorway was the dark-clad Keitaro, his drawn blade gleaming in the low light as he held it to his side. Hate-filled grey eyes bored into those of every member of the room, before tightening at Mikamura.

"So…you're the one that came up with that poison…" he growled, rage beginning to seep into his voice, "YOU made those monsters…"

"H-hey! Who the hell are you?!" Akira demanded, masking his fear in false bravado as he stomped over to the masked swordsman, "You better fix what you did to Father-"

He was silenced by a vicious backhand from the masked Keitaro that sent him crashing into the desk, papers flying everywhere from the impact.

"AKIRA!" Suzume got up and made to run for her son, when she was stopped cold, courtesy of Keitaro's blade sticking out from her stomach. Amagai, who'd been turned on his back by Mikamura, felt his heart stop as the avenger pulled his blade from Suzume, the woman dropping to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut.

"S….Suzume…?" the Tachibana pillar head whispered, and wept silently as he saw her blood pool around her, before glaring up at the assassin, "WH-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"…the same thing your ilk did to me four years ago…" the avenger's words puzzled Mikamura and Amagai, "…here, maybe this will jog your memory."

Reaching for the scruff of his neck, Keitaro grabbed the scarf, along with the false face, and carefully pulled them off, revealing his short, spiky black hair and sharp brown eyes that burned with loathing as he glared at the men before him.

"…no…you can't…" Amagai's eyes widened, the man struggling even more than ever to move, "…He…he killed you! We all saw! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

"…you first," was all Keitaro said in reply before plunging his blade into Amagai's heart, the man giving him a look of shock before blood came up from his mouth, his eyes rolling into his head in death. Mikamura was frozen, unimaginable terror gripping him like a vice. On the other side of the office, Akira broke down at the sight of his parents' brutal murders, before being engulfed by white-hot rage.

"YOU…YOU BASTAAARRRRD!"

Turning to face the boy, Keitaro watched as Akira ran forward, arms out with the intent to rip him apart. At the last moment, he moved towards the boy and slashed at him with his blade while he ran past. Both came to a stop at opposite sides of the room, and Mikamura held his breath, only to stare helplessly as Akira's left arm came off at the shoulder, falling to the ground with a dull thud.

The boy let out an ear-splitting scream of agony as he crumpled to the floor, hand gripping his shoulder as he writhed on the ground. The elderly doctor then noticed Keitaro walking toward the squirming Akira, and desperately rose to his feet to stand protectively in front of the grievously wounded Tachibana.

"STOP! Please, I beg you!" Mikamura prostrated himself at the assassin's feet, paying no heed to the puddle of blood he knelt in, Amagai's corpse still bleeding out nearby, "You've already done enough! Just kill me and spare the boy! He's only a child!"

"…how old is he…" Keitaro asked emotionlessly, a stony look on his face as he stared into Mikamura's eyes.

"T-Thirteen…p-p-please…" the cowed doctor gave the assassin a pleading look, "I'll let you take my life, if you promise to spare the boy…"

"…do you know who I am…?"

Mikamura examined Keitaro's face, trying to match it with the people in his memories, before he gasped as realization dawned on him, "…i-i-impossible…M-Mononobe…!"

"…then I don't need to tell you," Keitaro said before roughly grasping Mikamura's hair and holding him in the air, the old man frantically grasping at his hand, "that your pleas for mercy are wasted on me."

In a flash, Keitaro swung _Ginōkami_ and decapitated Mikamura, the old man's body falling back to the ground in a bloody mess. Throwing the head still in his hand on the desk, Keitaro grabbed the mask and wig and placed them back over his face. As he re-wrapped the scarf around him, he heard the piteous moans of Akira, still clutching his shoulder in pain.

"…you...fucking bastard," the seriously wounded boy glared at the assassin from the ground, his hair matted down with sweat and teeth gritted in crippling pain, "don't you…know who you're m-messin with here?"

"…I do…" Keitaro began in a dead tone as he moved to stand over the boy, his cold brown eyes staring into Akira's blue ones, "but your family…murdered my entire clan. So consider this karma. You can blame Kurotora when he joins you in hell."

Without pause, Keitaro flipped _Ginōkami_ into a one-handed reverse grip and plunged the tip through Akira's forehead. The avenger watched as the light in the boy's eyes faded forever, his body becoming still. His mission finished, Keitaro went over to Amagai's body and picked up the canister in his hands before leaving the office. Searching around the building, the young avenger found a storeroom that held several barrels and crates of chemicals used for the Tachibana's experiments. Almost all of them were labeled with a warning that put a vicious smirk on Keitaro's face.

**CAUTION: FLAMMABLE.**

* * *

Kanako nervously glanced at the clock on the wall of her brother's room. It was almost 4 in the morning, and he still hadn't returned. Granted, the trains were no longer running, so it was only natural that Keitaro would take longer to come home. Still, the girl couldn't help but feel anxious.

'…_what if something happened on the mission? What if they were stronger than he thought? What if-'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the window opened, revealing a blood-stained, slightly weary Keitaro. As his feet hit the ground, the boy felt the air leave his lungs when Kanako tackled him.

"Oof! Kanako-chan, how many times do I have to tell you NOT to do that!" he whispered harshly, but paused when he felt her tears on his chest; "I see…I worried you again…I'm sorry Kana-chan."

The girl sniffled, not minding the smell of blood coming from her brother's clothes, "Of course I was worried…I always worry!" she pulled back and Keitaro felt guilty when he saw the helplessness in her emotive brown eyes, "Every time…every damn time…I always wonder if you'll ever come back…"

Keitaro held her close as she sobbed, gently rubbing her back to soothe her, "…I promise that one day this'll all be over, and you'll never have to worry about me again."

As Kanako continued to silently sob into her brother's chest, neither was aware of Saigo's presence behind the slightly open door, his eyes narrowed in thought.

'_Just what have you been up to, Keitaro-kun?'_

* * *

"Hey! Did you see the news last night?"

"Yea, another Tachibana pillar family was taken out!"

"That makes five of them…that poor family…"

All around the classroom, Naru could hear her fellow peers clamoring about the latest news they'd seen that morning. Someone had taken out another one of the main families of the vaunted Tachibana clan, and it happened only an hour or so away from Hinata. While she didn't really pay attention to politics and the news that closely, the lovely brunette still felt a bit sad for the Tachibana. One of the victims had been around her younger sister's age.

'_I can't imagine what I'd do if anything like that happened to Mei…'_

Eventually, the homeroom teacher was able to get the class under control, and Naru went through her day in relative peace. As the last bell rang, she turned out of habit to face Keitaro's desk, only to frown at the empty space. With one last sigh, she packed her belongings and headed to the library. Upon entering her favored sanctuary, the lovely young woman made her way to her usual table, only to be shocked at the sight of her study buddy reading his physics textbook and taking notes.

"…I thought you said you weren't gonna be here today," Naru accused, although the smile on her face clashed with her words. Lifting his head from his notes, Keitaro gave the girl a blank look, "…I told you that if I finished with my family matters early then I'd be coming here. Not my fault you didn't listen."

A tic mark appeared on the woman's forehead, before she sighed again and took her seat across from her enigmatic study partner. Taking out her own textbooks, she began tackling her homework assignments for the day. As she opened her notebook to start writing, she glanced over at the boy across from her, "You were kinda lucky to be absent today…I think everyone's gossiping would've gotten on your nerves."

"Really now? What had everyone all up in arms?" asked Keitaro, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Well, you heard about what happened last night, right? The murder of Amagai Tachibana and his family, along with several of his relatives in a huge fire?" Naru asked, eyes on her work as she continued to explain, "That's the fifth family killed off in three years…everyone thought the killers had been caught a while back, but I guess not."

Because her attention was focused on her assignment, Naru missed the hardening of Keitaro's eyes, as well as the dark smirk on his face.

"…maybe the heavens are trying to say something to the Tachibana…some sort of retribution for a past crime or something…"

Naru paused for a moment, "Huh…maybe. But what are the odds of that?" she dismissed with an amused shake of her head. Keitaro's smirk only grew more sinister.

'_Better than you think…'_

* * *

"Yes…yes, I understand. We'll keep in touch…you take care as well," Hina hung up the phone and lightly massaged her forehead, a light headache causing her some slight discomfort. In front of her were several files and old news clippings regarding the murders of the Tachibana pillars. As the Urashima matriarch resumed her reading, Haruka walked through the open door, a cigarette hanging from her mouth.

"At it again granny?" she asked as she stood over Hina's chair, looking over her shoulder at the files.

"It's just unbelievable, Haru-chan. The last set of murders was about a year ago, but this latest one was carried out in almost the exact same fashion," the old woman pointed at a newspaper article written about the murder of Amagai Tachibana and his family, "it says right there that the bodies were so badly burned that the true cause of death could never be determined. It was a miracle they could even identify them as Amagai and his family. To make matters even more interesting, the murderer also killed the Tachibana's best medical expert, Mikamura."

"That old, prune-looking pain in the ass?" Haruka grimaced a bit, remembering her past encounters with the wizened old man, "can't really say I'm that sad to see him gone."

"Show some respect for the dead, Haru-chan…even if they don't really deserve it. " Hina admonished, "Still…I am rather curious as to the identity of the one behind all this. There aren't many around that would act out so blatantly against the Tachibana, even if the victims were the weaker pillars…"

Haruka rubbed her chin with one hand as she gave her own thoughts on the matter, "Well, no one really openly opposes the Tachibana…even though almost all the other noble clans hate their guts. Ever since they got the Imperial Guardians title, they've gone off the deep end."

Hina shuddered as she recalled the day that Heihachi received the ceremonial tanto and katana from the emperor. The smug look on his face irked the normally calm old woman to no end.

"...I still remember when the emperor presented it to Kazuya all those years ago, as well as the proud look on his face when Kyoshiro-kun was given that medal," Hina's body sagged, weighed down by the profound sadness those memories brought her.

Haruka also frowned as she reminisced about that day four years ago, "I don't think I'd ever seen that kid blush so hard as he did when he got that kiss on the forehead from the empress," a bitter smile came on her face as she finished her recollection, "I'll bet he's happy as all hell about this, ya know. Granted, he's not getting back at them himself, but someone's taking them out."

"He promised to cooperate with us and not do anything foolish," Hina looked stone-faced at her adopted daughter, "while I can't stop him from feeling however he may about all that's happened, I'm glad he at least chose to stand by his words to us."

"That makes two of us, granny," Haruka took a quick drag of her cigarette and blew the toxic air out of the window next to her, "Oh…looks like you have a message."

Hina looked up from her reading, just in time to see the notification on the screen of her laptop. The page was open to Hina's e-mail account (she'd recently figured out her way around the workings of computers and the internet), where the small icon that let her know she had a new message was blinking.

"Hmm…it's from Saigo…I haven't heard from him in a little while," Hina mused as she grabbed the mouse and went to the message. As she read it, her expression became more and more stern, her eyes, once filled with mirth, now held a grim expression.

"…everything ok with big bro?" Haruka asked casually.

"…I think it's time I paid Saigo a visit…I haven't seen my son in quite some time," Hina said with a hint of some emotion that Haruka couldn't discern, "and it's been ages since I've seen little Kei-kun and Kana-chan."

Haruka took out her cell, "Should I call to let em know you're coming?"

"No…I don't need to visit right away. I think the kids will be starting their winter vacation soon," Hina deleted the email before she closed the laptop, "I still have plenty of time."

Before Haruka could say anything, the Urashima clan head jumped down from her seat and left the room. All the while, her thoughts were a complete jumble.

'…_I seriously hope Saigo's suspicions are false…for your sake, Kyoshiro-kun'_

* * *

"So I'll see ya tomorrow after the exam?" Naru looked over at her friend before they went their separate ways for the day. Keitaro shrugged, "Yea, I guess I can wait for you…if you don't take forever to finish, that is."

Naru playfully punched his arm, surprising Keitaro with how much power she had in her slender arms, "Jerk! Catch ya later!" she waved before running to the bus stop to catch her ride home. Seeing her get on without any trouble, Keitaro turned and began walking to his own bus.

It had been three days since Amagai's assassination, and the young man felt ecstatic at being a bit closer to achieving his goal of avenging his clan's murder.

'_That's five down, and five to go…Mom…Dad…Saya…'_

So lost in his thoughts, the swordsman didn't even realize he'd gotten on the bus and arrived home until he was taking his shoes off in the foyer, when his foster father called out to him.

"Kei-kun, that you? Come on over, we have a guest."

Regaining his senses, Keitaro put on his house slippers and walked over to the living room, where he found Saigo and Nao on the sofa, entertaining their guest, while Kanako sat on the love seat perpendicular to them. Upon recognizing the visitor, Keitaro nearly froze in shock.

"H-Hina-obaasama?!" he fought to school his features and appear normal, although the sweat beading on his forehead wasn't helping, "W-what a surprise, I didn't know you'd be coming."

The old woman laughed at the boy's astonishment, "Well that's why they call it a surprise, Keitaro-kun. Good to see you my boy!"

The young man walked over and gave the clan head a warm hug before turning to sit down next to Kanako, who he also greeted with a hug, one she was reluctant to leave.

"So what brings you here, grandmother?" asked the young girl. Hina replied with a warm smile, "Does a grandmother need a reason to see her darling little grandchildren Kana-chan? I just realized it had been awhile since I last visited, and I couldn't keep away any longer!"

Keitaro took her answer in stride, but deep down, the boy felt there may be another reason for the clan head's sudden visit, a more _troublesome_ reason.

The family spent the next hour or so simply catching up on each other's lives, from Kanako's recent interest in the Urashima family jujitsu, to Keitaro's impending graduation and college exams. Through it all, the young swordsman felt edgy, sometimes having to rely on Kanako squeezing his hand every so often to keep him from showing his discomfort.

When Nao decided to bring out some more snacks, the Mononobe heir decided to excuse himself for a bit, citing the need to finish up a homework assignment. He never noticed Hina's eyes following him up the stairs.

After getting to his room, the boy sighed in relief, before moving over to his bag and taking out his textbooks. He hadn't been lying about the assignment, but it was something quick that he took care of in minutes. Once finished, he rolled out his futon and lay down to catch a few winks, or at least he intended to until a knock sounded at his door.

"Is that you Kana-chan? I was gonna come down in a few more minutes," he walked over to open the door, stumbling back in surprise when he saw not Kanako, but Hina at the door, "Hina-obaasama…"

"I'm sorry if I was disturbing your work, Kei-kun, but I just wanted to talk to you for a bit," Hina said as Keitaro moved out of the way to allow her entry. Closing the door behind him, the young swordsman felt as though he'd just locked himself in a cage with a dangerous predator. "Is everything alright, Hina-obaasama?"

"There's no need use formalities and false names here, we're family," Hina gave him a sly look, "isn't that right, Kyoshiro-kun?"

Keitaro sighed and walked over to his futon, letting himself plop onto it ungracefully, "Yea, yea…so what's up, granny?"

Hina took a cursory look around the boy's room, "It's funny, I was half expecting to see posters of those lovely new pop stars or fashion models all over…you're at that age after all…you don't have any girls that you're interested in?"

Keitaro grunted, "It's not something I'm focused on right now. I have school to think about, and inheriting the company in a few years…" he sat up and looked Hina in the eyes, "how are things with Nagareboshi Corp. going by the way? I forgot to check in over the past few months."

"Your family's company is in good hands, in fact their profits have risen exponentially with the addition of your pharmaceutical branch," Hina preened before a sad smile replaced her joyful expression, "…Kazuya did good in hiring those old goats on the board…the JSDF has never been so well equipped according to the emperor and the prime minister."

"…Dad was a good judge of character," the young swordsman replied sullenly, the conversation taking a turn he didn't want it to, "so is that why you're here? To talk about my family?"

"No…I'm here to ask how you've been doing," Hina's serious tone of voice caused Keitaro to give her his undivided attention, "I've been in touch with Saigo over the past couple of years. He always boasts about your academic achievements, but he's also told me that you go out of your way not to make friends," the old woman frowned as she recalled some of Saigo's messages, "in fact, he's noticed that during the last two years, you've made only one friend in school. You shouldn't isolate yourself like this, Kyoshiro-kun."

Keitaro rose from the futon and walked over to his closet, removing _Ginōkami _from its place against the back wall and placing it on his desk. Digging through the drawers, he found a whetstone, and proceeded to unsheathe the blade to sharpen it.

"It's not isolation…not really. I just choose to focus on my training and schoolwork. That doesn't leave much time to socialize…"

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," Hina deadpanned as she took a seat on the boy's futon, "You're a bright, charismatic young man with wisdom beyond his years…but at the end of the day you are a _young man_. You should enjoy your youth, not distance yourself out of…whatever it is that's causing you to keep everyone at arm's length."

The swordsman's silence as he meticulously sharpened the edge of his father's blade unnerved the Urashima clan head, until she noticed the dull look in his eyes, "…You're afraid of losing anyone else, aren't you," she asked, although it sounded more like a statement. His continued lack of a response however, gave her the answer she was looking for, as well as a way to investigate the suspicions aroused from Saigo's e-mail, "Well, you probably won't have to worry about that soon. I'm sure you've heard what happened three nights ago?"

Keitaro's grip on his father's blade tightened ever so slightly, but Hina was able to catch it before he responded, "Yea…I heard. Amagai Tachibana, his wife and son, the head Tachibana doctor, and the entire 6th pillar of the clan was killed in a fire…everyone at school was raving about it."

"That's no surprise…especially seeing as how this would be the fifth Tachibana pillar family to die in a freak accident over the past three and a half years," Hina continued on, her eyes focused on every detail of Keitaro's countenance, "very strange how they've been dropping like flies, don't you think?"

"Strange nothing, I say it's karma," the boy continued his work, but was unaware of the slight bit of crimson that had begun seeping into his eyes, "I'd like to shake the hand of whoever's putting those murderous, psychopathic bastards into the grave where they belong…"

Hina shook her head in disappointment, "While I can understand your hatred, it still saddens me to see you still so set on revenge. Such a path leads only to more sorrow," she warned, but Keitaro rudely brushed her statement aside.

"I know the adage, granny, if you seek revenge, be sure to dig two graves. Well, considering the size of that clan of demons, whoever's going after them is gonna have to dig a lot more graves than that."

"I guarantee you, grandchild, that they'll never get that far," the clever old woman filed away the slight hitch in Keitaro's motion with the whetstone at her statement, "the Tachibana are nothing if not resourceful. Not to mention this killer, or killers, have drawn the attention of the Imperial House. While they may not be attacking the emperor or his kin, they are still slaying the clan that provides his guards. It's almost a direct challenge to the emperor himself in a way, and that is NOT something he, nor our country's law enforcement, will tolerate sitting down."

The young swordsman narrowed his eyes, "Maybe they should've shown that same kinda drive when MY family was massacred…instead they just let it go and placed their murderers on a damn pedestal…"

"They had no choice, Kyoshiro-kun! There was no legitimate proof, and I couldn't just tell them that I heard the claims of their guilt from you without putting your life in jeopardy!" Hina said, her eyes pleading with him to understand her position, "That's not what your parents would want-"

"**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT THEY'D WANT?!**" Keitaro yelled as he stood up from his seat, his eyes completely crimson and flooded with indignation, "**THOSE FUCKING MURDERERS DESERVE EVERY DEATH! AND I HOPE WHOEVER'S KILLING THEM GETS EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!**"

"…calm down, Kyoshiro-kun," Hina raised her hands defensively, "you're activating the curse again. Breathe, I didn't come here to start an argument with you. We've had far too many of those already."

Taking a second to let go of the unbridled anger in his heart, Keitaro sat back down and finished sharpening _Ginōkami_'s edge before sheathing it back in its scabbard, "…I'm sorry…but I still stand by what I said," he continued before he whispered, "I just hope they save Kurotora for last…I wouldn't mind helping them with _that_ one…"

In that moment, Hina saw a glimpse of something in the young man's eyes, something she'd seen only once before, when news broke of the first time a Tachibana pillar family was killed.

'…_I've gotten what I came for…'_ she thought as she did her best to repress the shiver that threatened to leave her, "don't forget your promise to me, young man."

Keitaro gave her a withering glare, "No…I didn't forget…"

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Hina rose from the futon and gave Keitaro one last hug before returning downstairs. After a few quick goodbyes to the rest of the family, the Urashima clan head exited the house and walked towards the end of the block. At the corner was a parked town car, with Haruka leaning against one of the doors.

"So how'd the visit go?" she asked as she opened the door to let the elderly woman in. Hina said nothing until Haruka entered and the car began to head back to Tokyo, "The visit went fine, Haru-chan. Your brother and his family are still doing well…Kanako is growing to be a lovely young woman."

"…and Keitaro?"

Hina sighed, "Haru-chan…I'm worried about him. From our talk, it doesn't seem that he's involved in any way with the murder of the Tachibana pillars…but there's a darkness about him that wasn't there before," her eyes narrowed as she remembered the boy's outburst and what he'd said afterwards, "when he thought I couldn't hear him, he whispered that he'd be willing to help the killers should they go after Kurotora-san."

Haruka ran a hand through her hair, "So you think he's a risk?"

"I can't be certain, but the possibility is there. We need to find a better way to keep an eye on him. Saigo and Nao can't keep constant tabs on him for obvious reasons, and Kanako loves that boy too much to ever do anything against him."

"Do you think she'd help him?" Haruka asked, taking a drag from her cigarette, "if he decides to help the killers take out the other pillars?"

"…of that I have no doubt," the older woman admitted, "and with her talent in making disguises, she'd be an invaluable asset to him. We can't let that happen."

"You could always take Kanako on one of your trips…she's been dying to learn the family jujitsu, hasn't she?"

Hina gave her adopted daughter a small grin, "That would solve the issue with Kanako, but there's still the problem of figuring a way to watch over Keitaro-kun…" she huffed in frustration, "very few of our clansmen would be capable of doing such a thing without being caught, but the ones with the ability to do so aren't available."

Haruka frowned, sympathizing with her adopted mother's plight, "I hear ya…personally I wouldn't mind taking that job, but with my job, there's no way I could…"

Hina sighed, massaging her head in her hands, "Indeed…to be perfectly honest I think the only ones who could keep tabs on him would be you or myself, but you have the tea house to look after, and I'm also busy between clan affairs and managing the Hinata-sou…"

Hina trailed off, before her eyes widened and she jumped in her seat, "AHA! Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner?! I'm really becoming slow in my old age!"

Haruka nearly jumped from her seat in shock when Hina began cackling mischievously and whispering about 'killing multiple birds with one stone'. Eventually, her curiosity won out over her shock.

"Granny…what the hell are you planning?"

A cheeky grin and another cackle was her only answer.

* * *

"UHS! UHS! UHS!"

Keitaro grunted as he swung a practice bokken in the air, painstakingly keeping his form while trying to add a bit more power and speed to his strikes. On the grass next to him was a spread-out blanket where Kanako sat reading a book, with a small bento and several old-looking scrolls lying next to her. One of them had been opened, revealing several notes and drawings depicting the different attack stances that the young swordsman was practicing.

"Are you really gonna spend the day training, Onii-chan?" Kanako asked as she watched her beloved brother finish his latest set, her eyes drinking in his slightly sweaty form as he pulled on the collar his blue training gi to get some air, "it's the first sunny day we've had since vacation started, we should go do something."

A week had passed since Hina's visit, and Keitaro's nerves had been on edge ever since she'd left after their heated conversation. He had no idea if she'd figured out his role in the Tachibana murders, and the suspense was killing him. The fact that it had rained every day for six days, which denied him his usual outlet of training in his techniques, didn't help his mind state in the slightest. However, when he'd woken up that morning and saw the sun shining in a clear blue sky, the young man jumped at the chance to let loose.

"I'm almost done, Kana-chan. I haven't had the chance to practice in almost a week, so I gotta catch up," Keitaro answered as he went to the blanket to look over the scroll again, as well as pick up a rice ball to munch on, "after I finish, we'll head back home and figure out something to do."

Kanako sighed and brushed imaginary dust off the skirt of her black Lolita-style dress, "That's if you don't get stuck on something…again…" she said in a dead tone, although the twinkle of joy in her eyes took the bite out of her words. Kanako didn't end up waiting much longer, as the young swordsman only kept at it for a few minutes before calling it a day. On their way back home, the two chatted lightly about Hina's visit, among other mundane things.

"So she did end up grilling you a bit regarding the Tachibana murders," a contemplative look spread onto Kanako's face as she mentally went over what her brother had told her, "and you're sure she doesn't know it's been you behind them?"

"Positive, but I think she's a bit suspicious," Keitaro replied, just as their house came into view, "I kinda went off on her, but she seemed to dismiss the whole thing."

The goth-looking girl sighed in relief, "Good…because the last thing you need is for her to start getting nosy."

"No kidding."

As they walked inside and removed their shoes, Saigo walked into the foyer holding onto an envelope, "Hey, welcome back. Kei-kun, I found this letter in the mail for you."

"A letter?" Keitaro asked as Saigo handed him the envelop, his eyes narrowing when he saw the return address, "…it's from Hina-obaasama…"

Kanako froze for a moment, "From grandmother?!"

Nodding his head, the young swordsman tore the top of the envelope and removed the letter. Reading it over, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "…according to this, she wants me to go to someplace called Hinata-sou to meet up with her in a couple days…weird…"

Saigo tilted his head to the side, "Hinata-sou? She must mean that inn that she runs on the other side of the city. You've never been there before, have you Keitaro-kun?"

"Can't say that I have, although I do remember hearing about it a while back," Keitaro answered as he folded the letter and placed it in the pocket of his hakama, "in any case, I wonder why she'd want to see me there…?"

Saigo shrugged and walked off, while Kanako gave her brother a nervous glance, "You don't think she…"

Keitaro shook his head, "No…if she did suspect anything, she would've said so when she came to visit. This is probably different…maybe one of her practical jokes or something."

Kanako let out a long sigh, "That actually does sound like something she'd do…hopefully it's not too troublesome…"

"Guess I'll find out eventually."

* * *

Two days passed rather quickly, and Keitaro found himself taking the trolley towards the other side of the city. During the ride, the young swordsman found himself thinking of the mysterious summons. The letter hadn't really said much, other than to meet her at the inn in two days, and to plan on staying for close to a week. He'd made sure to pack for three to four days, as well as bring along his training gear. The swordsman had decided to bring _Ginōkami_ with him, wrapped in a black sword bag slung under his belt on his left hip, and in a last minute twist, he'd brought _Yawarakai-te_, also concealed in a sky blue sword bag slung across his back. Before he left the house, the young man had felt a strange sensation at the back of his mind, as though he was about to leave something important. When he got to his room, that sensation became stronger after he saw the heirloom blade of his family resting in its usual spot on the sword rack above his bed.

'…_something tells me I should bring it too…but I'll only be gone for a couple days. Eh, screw it, this way I can polish it while I'm at the inn…'_

And thus he boarded the trolley with a large duffel bag of his belongings and two katanas, drawing several curious glances from the passengers. Keitaro had long grown used to being the center of unwanted attention, and simply tuned them out until he reached his stop after a couple hours. Getting off the trolley, he straightened the katana at his waist and adjusted the strap of his duffel bag before tilting his head up at the stone steps that led up the large hill.

"So this is it, huh? Well, I know what I'll be doing for my morning exercise," he quipped as he gave an appraising look at the looming staircase. Walking towards the stone steps at a leisure pace, Keitaro took a moment to admire his surroundings. This part of the city wasn't as populated as Saigo's neighborhood; in fact there were barely any other houses in the area at all. When he got to the base of the stairs, the young swordsman spotted a tea house to his right, along with a familiar face sweeping out front.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Haru," Keitaro greeted. Haruka looked up from her sweeping and used her hand to shade her eyes from the sun in order to get a look at the person who addressed her. She smiled when she recognized the short, spiky brown hair of her adopted nephew.

"Speak for yourself, kiddo," she said in a warm voice as she leaned her broom against the wall and walked over to the young man, "huh…you're taller than me now…what a pain in the ass…"

"That's what happens when puberty strikes," Keitaro smirked and gave his 'aunt' a warm hug, one she happily returned, "I guess Hina-obaasama didn't tell you I was coming?"

"She said last week that she wrote to you, but I didn't expect her to actually invite you to Hinata-sou," Haruka answered as she led her guest into the tea house, "Do you want anything? I think I have a pot of tea on the burner…"

"Tea's fine, thanks," Keitaro replied as he took a seat and removed the duffel bag from his shoulder, "so I take it Hina-obaasama is up at the inn?"

"Actually, she left not too long before you got here, something about looking into clan affairs in the north," Haruka answered while taking a small drag from her cancer stick, only to laugh at the mortified expression on Keitaro's face, "she said she'd leave a letter for you in her room at the inn, though."

"…I shoulda known she'd pull somethin like this," the swordsman fumed to himself, wrestling against the urge to get on the next trolley home, "screw it, I'm already here, might as well see what she wanted me here for and then head home after a few days."

Keitaro lifted his duffel bag and headed for the door, Haruka following behind him, "I'm just gonna go put my bag down in granny's room, then I'll come back to the tea house and we can catch up some more."

"No problem, kiddo," Haruka saw him out and watched as he ascended the rest of the stairs, before smacking her palm to her forehead as she remembered something she meant to tell the swordsman.

"Shoot…he doesn't know that the inn was turned into a girls' dorm…or that _she's_ living here too…" the tea house owner smirked slyly, "Eh, he'll be fine…besides, it's been kinda dull around here anyway…"

* * *

After reaching the top of the staircase, Keitaro got his first glimpse of the Hinata-sou: a multi-story Japanese-style inn that looked to be in pretty decent condition. To the side of the main building, the swordsman could see a small stream that ran behind and to the side of the complex.

As he saw the entrance to the inn, the young warrior shivered a bit from a strange sensation he got as he approached the front doors, almost as if the minute he stepped through that entryway, things would never be the same.

"…I get the feeling that walking into this place is gonna be a baaad idea…" he said to himself before he slid open the door.

If only he knew…

* * *

**Author's Note -** In the words of my best friend/brother who proofread this for me: Revenge burns baby! So now you've had a glimpse of Kyoshiro's routine (and not so routine) life with the Urashima Family, as well as the current dynamic between Kyoshiro, Kanako, and Naru. Since I felt the promise girl plotline wouldn't really fit well here, I decided to improvise and have Kyoshiro and Naru meet in high school, since I made them close to the same age. Fear not, there won't be any romance developing between these two...yet. There's potential for it, but there will be similar potential with the other girls. And who's this mysterious Kimiko Tachibana? Weeeeeeelllll...XP

Thanks again to all those who reviewed and followed. Honestly, y'all have destroyed a good deal of the doubts I've had about my writing ability, and I only hope this chapter and the ones to come live up to your expectations. In the next month, I'll be taking part in National Novel Writing Month, and using it to finally get started on the reboot of an original project of mine, so if my updates slow down (they've been one a week i think), that's why, but I'll do my best to get new chapters up as quick as I can. Until then, deuces til the next y'all.

Ciph signin off

**P.S. - after a recent review, I realized there were several inconsistencies in this chapter in regards to the pillars. Amagai was the sixth, and thus the fifth one Kyoshiro has killed (Pillars 10, 9, 8, 7 and now 6 are all dead). If any of you notice any other inconsistencies in any other chapters, feel free to pm me or leave it in a review.**


	4. Meeting the Girls

**Disclaimer: **There really should be a stamp or something for this, but once again, I do not own Love Hina...but if I did..._

* * *

**Chapter III – Meeting the Girls**

Slowly opening the doors, Keitaro walked into the lobby, adjusting his duffel bag and _Yawarakai-te_ so they wouldn't catch on the door frame. Immediately, the young man was hit with a powerful feeling that reminded him of home, as if the building was an old friend welcoming him back after a long absence.

'…_well that was weird…guess the stories I heard were kinda true…'  
_

Taking his sandals off in the foyer, he spotted several other pairs of shoes lying on a set of shelves, and his eyebrows rose when he noticed something peculiar about them.

'_They're all women's shoes…strange…'_

Deciding he'd ponder the reason for that later, Keitaro walked further into the inn, until he came upon a set of stairs, along with a counter and a few cushioned love seats and sofas next to a large potted plant. Setting his bag down on one of the chairs, the young man looked around and spotted a map depicting the layout of the inn. From what he saw on the map, there were two wings, north and south. To the west of the main building was what appeared to be a separate annex, and further north was an outdoor onsen with a forest behind it, complete with a small river. A temple at the absolute rear of the land marked the boundary before the forested area of the hill that Hinata-sou rested on began.

Keitaro whistled as he finished examining the map of the complex, "Damn…this place is HUGE…but the floor plan doesn't list where Hina-obaasama's room would be…"

Sighing to himself, the young swordsman took a seat as he figured out his next move. Before he could get too comfortable, he heard the soft padding of footsteps coming his way. Turning to his left, Keitaro saw a young girl that looked to be around twelve or thirteen years of age, with short midnight blue hair and garbed in a yellow and green sweater with a short green ruffled skirt, carrying a large basket filled with freshly picked laundry. While he couldn't make out her face, as it was hidden by the tall stack of clothes, the young swordsman could tell she was having a bit of a difficult time.

"…almost there…just a little closer…almost the-KYAH!"

The young girl tipped forward and was about to fall, dropping the basket in the process, when the agile swordsman quickly ran to her front and held the basket in place, stopping the young girl short.

"A-ah…th-thank you," the girl said with a shy, meek voice. Finally able to see her face, Keitaro felt a pang in his heart when he noticed her large, innocent blue eyes, and the familiar face of another girl superimposed itself over the bluenette's.

'…_Saya…'_

The young homemaker, on the other hand, widened her eyes in shock as she fully noticed the stranger that helped her, _'W-wait a minute…a-a-a m-m-m-man?! I-In Hinata-sou?!' _she then noticed the sword bags on his hip and across his back, _'Oh no…h-he's armed too?!'_

Keitaro noticed her backing away slowly and raised his hand in a placating gesture, "Uh, I'm sorry for the intrusion, but could you tell me where to find the manager's room? Her name's Hina and-"

Before he could finish, the frightened middle schooler took several more steps back before turning around and dashing off, leaving a dumbfounded Keitaro in her wake.

"…What the hell? Hey, wait a second!" he yelled before running after her. Unfortunately she'd gained quite a head start, and the young man lost her after several turns down the halls. Cursing to himself, he took a glance at his surroundings and figured his location to be somewhere in the southern wing of the inn.

"She's a lot faster than I thought…do I look scary or something?" he said lowly to himself as he walked down the hall to continue his search for the timid middle schooler. Turning another corner, he noticed another young girl coming from the opposite end of the hall.

'…_a foreigner?'_ was his first thought as he noticed the girl's light blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail, dark skin, and vibrant green eyes that held a child-like naiveté. She was dressed in a typical middle school sailor fuku, but didn't wear anything on her feet, leaving them bare against the hardwood floor. Seeing her stop in the middle of the hallway, Keitaro decided to try his luck, "Hey, excuse me. Could you tell me where to find the room that belongs to Hina Urashima?"

The girl gave him a puzzled look, before a large smile came across her face, "Sure! I can tell ya! But you gotta play with me first!"

"Huh?" the young swordsman blanched, question marks appearing over his head before he shrugged and answered the girl, "Uhh…sure? I'm not in a rush, so I guess we could…play. Sounds fair…"

"AWESOME! I've been wanting to test out these new attack drones I made!" said the foreign girl excitedly as she withdrew a strange looking controller that was tucked into the back of her school uniform skirt, "The others always run away when I ask them to play test dummy! Suu doesn't get why…"

"Wait…hold up. Did you just say 'attack drones'?" worry lines appearing on his forehead, the young man backed away a couple steps as his question was answered in the form of several flying disks floating from around the corner. They were about as big as a dinner plate, and had what looked to be some type of dual mini-guns mounted on top, "Aww, you gotta be KIDDING me!"

Keitaro turned and ran down the hall as the drones chased him, spitting rounds at his retreating form. Dodging several of them by a hair, the Mononobe heir ducked behind another corner and tore _Ginōkami _from the sword bag on his waist. Quickly drawing the blade, he ran down another hall and turned to face the first few drones that followed. Three of them began shooting him as soon as he was in sight, but using unprecedented speed and precision, Keitaro deflected the bullets as he ran towards the hovering drones.

"Can't believe I'm actually doing this inside an inn…oh well," Keitaro chambered his blade arm to the left before channeling ki into his father's sword, covering it in an ethereal orange light that shined like the morning sunrise and covered the blade, extending it to about double its original length, "**Hinode (Daybreak)!**"

With a single swipe across the width of the hallway, Keitaro managed to cut down the three drones effortlessly. Cutting the flow of ki, he knelt down and observed the destroyed drones with a careful eye.

"Ok…looks like they're down," he whispered to himself before looking up to see an army of the drones slowly advancing on him, led by an ecstatic looking Suu.

"Wooow! You use funny moves too?!" her grin threatened to split her face in two if it grew any wider, "Show Suu more!"

"Gods above, not again!" Keitaro jumped to his feet and ran back in the direction of the lobby, all the while ducking and dodging weapons fire from the drones, "Hina-obaasama's gonna be pissed at all this damage, ya know!"

"s'ok! Granny always said to Suu that as long as she cleans up after, she can play inside!" The energetic girl's answer almost caused the swordsman to trip, but luckily he regained his balance and ran into the lobby.

'_And that proves it! Hina-obaasama's mental!'_ Keitaro shouted in his head before noticing that in his slight moment of distraction, the drones had blocked off the exit to the outside as well as the other hallways and stairs, "…dammit…"

Suu gave the trapped man an innocent grin, one he thought didn't belong on the face of a child about to kill him, "Yay! You're the best test dummy ever! Let's play some more!"

Keitaro sighed before activating _**Hinode**_ once again, "…well, this is gonna be interesting," he shot a sharp glare towards the drones before lunging towards them in the blink of an eye, "try not to cry when I break all of your toys."

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the onsen behind the main complex, two young ladies were enjoying an early afternoon soak…or at least one of them was trying to. Her company was making it a bit difficult, though.

"Kitsune! Get off already!" Naru yelled as she tried to escape her best friend's grabby hands, which were currently squeezing and prodding the brunette's ample breasts.

"Awww, don't be like that, hun," the mischievous voice of her friend replied back, the grin on her face becoming more vulpine as she continued her 'examination', "I'm just keepin an eye on the competition, ya know?"

As Naru continued to struggle against being violated by the prankster, both of them were startled at the sound of an explosion coming from inside. Slowly turning their heads to the entrance, they sighed as they didn't see any smoke leaking through the door.

"…2000 yen says that was Suu and another of her hair-brained devices again," Kitsune sighed before letting go of Naru and exiting the springs, giving the girl an unimpeded show of her voluptuous form. The brunette looked away quickly, trying not to feel subconscious about her somewhat smaller bosom, "I-I know better than to bet against that one. Let's just go make sure she didn't break anything valuable this time."

Following the older girl out, they both put on yukatas and walked towards the lobby, somewhat fearful of what they'd find.

* * *

In a bedroom on the second floor, a tall young girl with long raven-colored hair, dressed in a white gi and crimson hakama, knelt in the middle of the floor, trying her best to meditate and clear her mind. Her soft, silent breathing was the only sound in the room, her eyes closed as she concentrated on maintaining her internal balance.

'…_clear as water…still as a breeze…serene as th-'_

Her meditative thoughts were interrupted by the loud bang of an explosion coming from the lobby downstairs. Jumping to her feet, the young woman scanned her surroundings, her body tensed as though expecting an attack. Sensing nothing out of the ordinary, she walked over to her sword, _Shisui_, quickly picking it up from its resting place and sliding it into the band around her hakama.

"…It must be Suu up to her antics again. I'd better go investigate."

* * *

"…sooo…cooool…"

Suu slowly fell to her knees in awe as she took in the sight before her. Within 10 minutes, Keitaro had utterly destroyed every last one of her attack drones, and now stood above the slashed and burned remains of her inventions. Normally, this would probably make her upset, but it wasn't every day that she saw a stranger, a guy no less, take out more than fifty flying robots with guns.

Wiping a bit of sweat off his brow, the swordsman sheathed _Ginōkami _back in its scabbard and walked over to the awestruck girl.

"Whew… that was one hell of a workout. You really know your stuff with robots, huh?" he said as he knelt in front of the young foreigner. Her stunned expression gave way to a large grin as she replied, "Uh huh! Suu's a genius!"

Keitaro laughed a bit before gently ruffling Suu's head, unable to get angry at almost being killed by her inventions, "I guess that's one way to put it."

Suu looked up curiously at the stranger's hand in her hair, before closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of him rubbing her head. It felt good…_really _good.

"So…now that I've played with you, do you think you could tell me where-"

"My, my, what have we here?"

Keitaro looked up at the interruption and promptly froze in place as he noticed two young women in bathing yukatas enter the lobby. The one on the left he recognized instantly as his study partner and friend, Naru. However, it was the woman next to her, with short, very light brown hair, perpetually closed eyes, and a highly desirable figure, that put the fear of Buddha into him.

"…no way…y-you gotta be kidding…"

Naru looked at the stranger dressed in a grey gi and navy blue hakama with suspicion, before a shocked look came over her face once she recognized his face, "…Keitaro-san? Is that you? W-what are you doing here?!"

Keitaro wasn't even paying attention to the brunette, his wide eyes focused on Kitsune as he quickly got to his feet and pointed at the older woman, "y-you! Oni-Kitsune!"

'_Wait a damn minute, I know that voice!'_ Kitsune stared at the stranger before a large grin came to her face, "TARO-CHAN!"

Keitaro tried to escape, but Kitsune ran forward and tackled the boy back into the sofa, her well-sized chest crushing into his and bringing a prominent blush to the man's face as she rubbed her cheeks against his, "Awww, you came all the way from the other side of the city to see lil ol' me?! Well aren't you a sweetheart!"

"GET THE HELL OFF ME YOU VILE WOMAN!" Keitaro did his best to push the amorous woman off of him without touching anywhere indecent, which was a task much easier said than done. The best he was able to do was get to an upright seated position, with Kitsune hugging his waist, her cheeks still rubbing gently against his own, "Sheesh…I didn't come here for you, dammit! I didn't even know you and Naru lived here!"

"Aww, but Taro-chan~" Kitsune whined as she pulled back a bit and gave the young man her most dangerously innocent pout, "I haven't seen you at all since I graduated last year…I missed you~"

'_Who the HELL did I piss off in a past life to deserve this?!'_ Keitaro thought as he rolled his eyes at the woman's antics. Sighing to himself, he looked over at the other occupant in the room, who was giving him a look of mild irritation coupled with a little amusement, "H-hey Naru-san. Fancy seeing you here…"

Naru narrowed her eyes at the swordsman, "Riiight…mind telling me what you're doing here, Keitaro-san?"

"Well, I was summoned here by my grandmother," Keitaro began as he finally extracted himself from Kitsune's grip, much to her disappointment, "she sent me a letter a couple days ago and told me to meet her here. Her name's Hina Urashima, sound familiar?"

The brunette's eyes widened a fraction, "Wait, you mean to tell me that Granny Hina is _your_ grandmother?"

Keitaro gave the girl a deadpan look, "You've known my family name was Urashima for how many years now? Shouldn't that have given you a hint to some possible relation?"

"You can't really blame her all that much, can you Taro-chan?" Kitsune defended, giving the young man next to her one of her signature grins, "I mean back in school you never really talked about your folks much."

The young man sighed, "…why do you have to be right…"

"Cuz I'm always right, sugar!" With that, she resumed hugging her old friend, who merely surrendered and hung his head in defeat while Naru shook her head at the scene.

"Well, regardless of who your grandma is, it still isn't right for you to be here. Don't you know what this place is?"

Keitaro looked back up at the brunette after hearing her question, a confused look on his face, "…well I heard the place was an inn or something that Hina-obaasama's had in the family for generations…"

Naru huffed and frowned at her confounded male friend, "This place hasn't been an inn for a good while now. It's a girl's dorm, you knucklehead."

The man froze for a couple minutes as he processed the brunette's words, before he gave the most intelligent reply possible.

"What the hell?! A girl's dorm?!" his animated expression almost made Naru break out in a fit of laughter, having never seen such animation on the normally taciturn boy's face before, but she managed to keep her cool.

"That's right, Taro-chan! No one but us gals here!" Kitsune chimed in, squeezing the boy more to emphasize her words. The reddening blush on Keitaro's face only made her grin more, "Although I don't mind you comin to see us all the way from home…"

Keitaro sat back into the cushions of the sofa shaking his head, bringing Kitsune back with him, "Sheesh…figures Hina-obaasama would pull some bull like this…wonder what else she didn't tell me…"

"Is everything alright down here, Naru-sempai? I thought I heard a commotion…"

Keitaro sat back up and turned his head over to the stairs to find the source of the unknown, but strangely familiar voice that had just intruded into the room.

…and almost had a heart attack when he realized who it was.

'…_no…no fucking way…Hina-obaasama would NOT be THIS FUCKING STUPID!'_

The new girl was tall, only a couple of centimeters shorter than him, with long raven hair that fell to the small of her back, and stern grey eyes that held a hidden strength within them. She was garbed in a white gi that was slightly open at the top, revealing a portion of the bandages that wrapped around her chest, along with a red hakama and plain white socks. Slung on her left hip was what appeared to be a bokken, but was actually a katana without a guard, sheathed in a wooden scabbard.

Naru shook her head at the new girl, "It's ok, Motoko, just a bit of a misunderstanding…that we're still trying to understand," she said as she gestured over to Keitaro and Kitsune on the sofa. Motoko glanced over as well, before her eyes narrowed in thinly veiled disgust.

"What is a male doing here in Hinata House? Is he the reason for the disturbances?" she asked, her voice ripe with suspicion and loathing, "Did he try anything perverted?"

"What's perverted? Does it taste good?" Suu's question went ignored by the other occupants, who'd long since grown used to the foreigner's eccentrics.

Keitaro wasn't paying attention any longer, as his higher brain functions had shut down the minute he'd confirmed Motoko's identity. Panicked thoughts flittered about like an angry hive of bees in his head as he tried to rationalize what was happening.

'_No…I know for a fact Hina-obaasama wouldn't do something this ridiculous…I mean…MOTOKO AOYAMA?! OF ALL PEOPLE I COULD RUN INTO, I RUN INTO HER?!...wait…did HARU know about this?!'_

His brain rebooting and latching onto that question, Keitaro began trembling, alerting Kitsune to his growing outrage.

"H-hey sugar, you ok? You look like you seen a ghost-"

Her inquiry was interrupted when Keitaro began growling before throwing his head up at the ceiling and shouting.

"HAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

* * *

Haruka was making her way up the stairs, thinking that she'd waited long enough for Keitaro to return, when she heard his booming voice from the dormitory.

"HAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"…guess he finally found out the truth," she smirked to herself before taking a long drag from her cigarette, "or maybe he ran into Motoko…or both."

Finishing her climb up the stairs, the tea house owner walked through the doors to see an irate-looking Keitaro staring at her, with the girls giving him a wide berth. Motoko had a hand on the hilt of her sword, just in case the strange man did anything funny.

"You called, nephew?" she drawled lazily, her smirk widening a fraction as he glared at her.

"Haru…I think we need to talk… right now…" The no-nonsense tone in the young man's voice alerted Haruka to his irritation, and with a sigh she nodded, "Right. One of you find Shinobu and bring her down here. As for you two," she turned to Naru and Kitsune, "you might wanna get dressed in actual clothes before you catch something."

* * *

A few minutes later, all the residents of Hinata-sou were sitting on the chairs in the lobby, with Haruka and Keitaro leaning against the stairs. Naru had come back first, dressed in her favorite yellow sweater and red skirt with brown stockings. Kitsune came back afterwards, sporting a tight, violet dress shirt that did little to hide the shape of her ample chest, and black dress pants. Motoko was the last to return with Shinobu, who looked warily at the swordsman standing next to the tea-house owner.

"Well, since everyone's back, I can start," Haruka began as she gestured over to Keitaro, "the one with a stick up his behind standing over here is my cousin/nephew and Hina's grandson, Keitaro Urashima."

The young man with his arms crossed lifted a hand in a lazy wave, "Yo."

The girls glanced at each other quickly, and Naru looked back at the young man and shrugged, "You already know who I am, and the same goes for Kitsune," she ignored how her best friend tried to strike a pose, "so we'll skip the intro."

"U-um, I-I'm Shinobu…Shinobu Maehara," the shy bluenette looked at the ground as she spoke, her timid voice barely heard by the standing swordsman, "I-I'm sorry I ran a-away before Urashima-san."

Keitaro waved her apology off, "Don't worry about it. I would've reacted the same to a strange man in an all-girls dorm if I was in your shoes. Pleased to meet ya." Shinobu looked up at him briefly with a small smile, before blushing and turning her gaze back to the floor.

"I'm Suu!" the rambunctious foreigner jumped in her seat and waved at the Mononobe heir, "Can we play again sometime?! That was fun!"

"Heh…maybe some other time, Suu," Keitaro hesitantly answered as he waved back, before slowly turning to the last member of the group, who was giving him a scathing glare.

"…Motoko Aoyama," was all the tall girl said, still trying to kill the young man with her eyes alone. Keitaro met her glare with a blank stare of his own, although it was only a cover to hide the pain in his chest at seeing his oldest friend after four years.

'…_good thing I kept the dark brown hair…to think she's so grown now, she almost looks like her sister…'_

With introductions finished, Keitaro pushed himself from the wall, "Ok…now that intros are out of the way, can I please go to Hina-obaasama's room and get this damn letter so I can see what the old bat wants from me?"

Motoko scoffed at his brash words, "Figures…no respect for your elders, typical of a vile male such as yourself." The insult threw Keitaro for a loop, "Whoa, what the hell is your problem?"

The kendo girl walked right up to his face until they were scant inches apart, a deep scowl disfiguring her beautiful face, "My problem, _cretin_, is having an unknown, most likely dangerous man present in an all-girls dorm, with two impressionable, vulnerable children around," her eyes narrowed further as they locked onto his, "especially when said male has such a foul ki as you do."

Keitaro's breath hitched momentarily, "The hell do you mean my ki feels foul?"

"I come from a family with the ability to sense and utilize ki energy," she began, not looking away from his eyes for a second, "I don't know who you are, or what you've done, but your ki has the revolting feel of someone that's treacherous to those around them. That's why I said it was foul, _bastard_."

The swordsman's eyes narrowed, his patience being tried to its limit, "…your opinion's noted. Now then, if you don't mind, could you move so I can go to Hina-obaasama's room and get this letter? I'll be outta your hair that much faster," he growled, unable to believe that the sweet, docile Mo-chan he knew was now this hateful young woman standing in front of him.

Motoko lingered for a moment before stepping out of Keitaro's path, allowing the man to head up the stairs to the second floor. Unbeknownst to the two warriors, the rest of the occupants heaved sighs of relief, most of them having been on edge during the brief altercation.

"…hold on, he still doesn't know where Granny Hina's room is, does he?" Naru asked, and after seeing Haruka shake her head, quickly got up from her seat and ran after the hapless swordsman, grumbling all the way about idiots running off half-cocked.

* * *

"Sorry…I guess in my rush to get her out of my face, I forgot I still had no damn clue where the manager's room was," Keitaro apologized as he and Naru walked towards the room Hina usually occupied. The brunette shook her head, "Don't worry about it…at least you didn't end up in one of the other girls' rooms…Motoko would skin you alive if that happened."

The young swordsman's eyes darkened a bit at the thought of his former friend, "Yea…riling her up wouldn't be a good idea. Why is she so hostile, by the way?" he asked as he looked over at the girl next to him, "…did you infect her with your 'all men are only perverted devils to be destroyed' mantra too?"

Naru punched his arm, eliciting a small laugh from the man, before answering, "For your information, buster, she was already like that when she first came here. From what she told us, she left home after her sister got married or something…said her parents thought she needed to grow as a person on her own, so they sent her here."

'_So Tsuruko-sempai got hitched…meaning that Motoko's the heir to the Shinmei-ryuu,"_ Keitaro thought as he and Naru approached the door to Hina's room, _'…that doesn't explain her hatred for men though…guess that's a mystery to solve another day…'_

"Here we are," Naru's voice brought Keitaro out of his thoughts as the girl slid the door open. Inside was rather bland, with just a futon, a desk with a flat-screen television, a dresser in the corner, a couple chairs and a large, empty closet for clothes and other belongings. The two walked over to the desk, where a sealed envelope rested under a paper weight shaped like a lotus flower.

"It's addressed to me, so I guess this is it," Keitaro picked up the letter and opened it. As he read, the look on his face became more and more annoyed, until finally he threw it back onto the desk, his patience finally running out.

"What the HELL is that old windbag thinking?! Seriously!"

Curious as to what got the man so frazzled, Naru picked up the letter and slowly read its contents, "Hmm…let's see..."

'_Dear Keitaro-kun,_

_My sincerest apologies for not being able to meet you at this time, but in preparation for my global hot springs tour, I had to head north to oversee a few things that needed my attention. I should be back at the end of the week. In the meantime, I was wondering if you'd mind looking after Hinata-sou as my interim manager while I'm gone. Normally I'd ask Haruka to do it, but she's become so busy with her tea shop, I figured it would be a terrible bother. I know you start school again in a couple of days, but there's a trolley here you can take that'll get you to school faster than you would from your home. Please try to get along with the girls, I know you're a loner at heart, but do give them a chance. They just might grow on you. I'll contact you at the end of the week and we'll meet up to talk. Take care 'til then!_

_Your loving grandmother,_

_Hina Urashima_

After finishing the letter, Naru looked over at her friend, who was still fuming to himself about his new predicament, "Well I guess I can see why you're a little mad…and this is kinda weird, even for Granny Hina."

"You don't know her like I do, Naru-san, so trust me when I say this is EXACTLY something she'd do," Keitaro spat as he glared at the letter, wishing it would self-combust, "She ALWAYS has to meddle in my damn life…"

"But it's only until the end of the week, right?" the brunette set the letter back on the desk and turned to face her upset study partner, "I mean, things'll be a little off for a bit…and personally I'm not a fan of the idea either, but we just have to endure it for a few days. That shouldn't be too hard."

Keitaro's gaze hardened at Naru's somewhat lighthearted outlook on the matter, "Yea…tell that to the others…or rather, tell that to kendo girl downstairs. That'll go over real nice."

"…Yea that IS gonna suck," Naru cringed at the thought of telling the resident swordswoman about the idea, "but you never know, maybe she'll warm up to it?"

* * *

She didn't…at all.

"ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!" Motoko seethed as she slammed her fist on the table. After bracing themselves for the inevitable, Keitaro and Naru returned downstairs to find everyone seated at the dining room table. Motoko threw a nasty glare at Keitaro the minute he entered her line of sight, and instantly the young man knew she'd have a conniption fit over Hina's message. To his misfortune, he was right.

"No need to fly off the handle, Motoko-chan," Kitsune waved her hand dismissively, trying to bring calm back to the table, "Granny said it was only until the end of the week. Nothing to get so upset over…"

"It's still improper! A man has no place living in a girls' dormitory! Even if it's temporarily!" the kendo girl argued, her face already mostly red with anger. Shinobu and Suu glanced back and forth between their elders as they debated the issue, one with an anxious expression, and the other in child-like confusion.

"But why can't Keitaro stay here?" Suu asked Motoko, unable to comprehend the problem with having the man that had played with her and shown her his killer moves staying with them, "He's awesome! He can do strange moves like you, Motoko!"

Keitaro facepalmed at Suu's outburst, while everyone at the table minus Haruka turned to him with intrigued stares, "Good grief, it was just ONE technique…no big deal…"

"Maybe to you and me, kiddo, but these girls just met you," Haruka said as she lit another cigarette, "matter of fact, apart from Motoko, they've never seen anyone else use ki techniques."

"Wait, so you can really use those funny moves like Motoko?" Naru asked, slight shock etched onto her lovely face, _'I swear, it's like the surprises never end with him…'_

"Well…not exactly," Keitaro scratched behind his head bashfully, "we're from different schools, so the stuff we learn isn't really the same-"

"Who cares about his inferior skill set?!" Motoko interrupted, both to Keitaro's relief and chagrin, "You're all forgetting the point! He shouldn't be allowed to stay here!" she pointed over to Shinobu and Suu, "Don't you recall that he scared poor Shinobu half to death? Or that he destroyed all of Suu's devices so violently? He's dangerous!"

"U-um…actually," Shinobu interjected, "He s-saved me from falling and h-hurting myself, and even s-stopped the basket of clothes I had from g-getting messed up on the floor," she meekly turned to Keitaro, a small blush forming on her cheeks, "I-if he m-meant to h-harm us, he wouldn't have helped me like he did…"

"Oh, how cuuute~, he was Shinobu's knight in shining armor," Kitsune teased, prompting the timid bluenette to quickly look at the table, her face even more red, "but if what she says is true, then he's harmless! Besides, of all the guys I knew at school, he always had the most restraint, even when I pranked him!"

"…please don't remind me…I still get nightmares about those dark days," Keitaro placed a hand to his forehead, trying his best to shake those awful memories of Kitsune's flirting out of his mind. The coy freelancer laughed and gestured towards him, "See? If he really was a perv like you say, Motoko-chan, then he'd have done something long ago."

The kendo girl refused to budge on the matter, however, "Well just because he didn't fall prey to your feminine wiles back then, Kitsune-sempai, doesn't mean he won't do something in the future! Besides, he's armed! Doesn't that ring any alarm bells?"

"…forgive me for playing devil's advocate, but aren't you armed too, Motoko-chan?" The tall girl blushed heavily at Naru calling her out, unable to make a proper response, "You've carried your sword everywhere for as long as you've been here. We had to put faith in you, and you proved to be harmless. I've been friends Keitaro-san for a while, and even though I don't know him well, I know enough to say he'd never harm anyone that didn't provoke him."

The small smile the brunette sent his way warmed Keitaro's heart. He'd never had anyone outside of his family show such faith in his character before, and if he hadn't considered his study partner to be a valued friend before, he sure as hell did now.

Seeing that Motoko was about to continue the argument however, Keitaro raised a hand to stall her, "Ok…I can tell you're obviously not happy with this situation…and honestly, I'm not a fan of it either," the man didn't notice the slightly hurt looks that came to Suu, Kitsune, and even little Shinobu's faces, "but Hina-obaasama said it was just until the end of the week. If anything, I'll either be at school, cram school, or training most of the time, so you'll barely see me. After the week's up, Hina-obaasama'll be back, I'll go home, and you'll never have to see me again."

'…_and my secret won't be facing a loaded gun anymore'_ he added as an afterthought. Motoko still looked at him sternly, but after a few moments, she rose from her seat and roughly brushed past the swordsman, "Hmph…very well. But mark my words, Urashima-teme, if you commit so much as one act of perversion on anyone in this house…I'll throw you to the curb myself."

"Noted," the swordsman growled at the kendo girl's retreating back. Seeing the mood at the table taking a downward turn after Motoko's departure, Haruka spoke up, "So kiddo, you're taking the college exams soon, right? Saigo-nii told me you're aiming for Todai?"

"Yea, I figured I'd give it a shot…see if I-"

"TODAI!?"

Keitaro nearly jumped out of his seat at the surprised outburst from Suu, Shinobu, and Kitsune, with only Naru not shouting like the others, but still appearing pleasantly surprised.

"So you decided to go for Todai for real? What program are you looking into?" asked the excited brunette.

"Well, I figure archaeology would be a good field to try…I've had a bit of a fascination for ancient civilizations around the world," Keitaro tilted his head forward, his hair shadowing his eyes, "…my dad, when he went to college he studied in that field…said he had a blast and he thought I should try it."

Only Haruka noticed the faint tinge of sadness in the man's voice, as the other girls simply continued to bombard him with questions. The familiar pain in her heart pulsed at the memory of the man that was like an uncle to her.

'_Kazuya…he's gonna be just like you, I can tell already…it's terrible you can't be here to see this…'_

"Anyway…hate to bail already, but after everything that happened today, I'm bushed," Keitaro let out a yawn to show his fatigue, "think I can take my stuff up to Hina-obaasama's room now and catch a few winks before dinner?"

"Sure, go ahead kiddo," Haruka dismissed as she headed for the exit to the dorms, "I have to get back to the tea shop anyway. Call me if ya need anything, Kei."

"Will do," the swordsman waved goodbye as the tea shop owner left, before turning to the stairs, only to see the remaining girls standing in front of him, "Everything ok girls?"

"Yea, but since you're gonna be living here for a few days, we figured we'd give you a proper greetin!" Kitsune said before she and the rest of the girls gave the now slightly flustered young man a bow.

"Welcome to Hinata-sou!"

* * *

After reaching his temporary room and setting his duffel bag on the small carpet, Keitaro quickly set about trying to find the best possible hiding place for _Yawarakai-te_. Now that he knew Motoko was a resident at Hinata-sou (something he swore painful revenge on Hina for not telling him sooner), keeping the heirloom blade out in the open was a TERRIBLE idea.

'_No way in hell am I letting her see that thing…now where can I hide you…'_ he thought as he checked for loose floorboards, hidden panels in the walls, anything that could hint at a potential hiding spot for the beautiful katana. Eventually, he found a false set of floor boards near the rear of the room, located under the window. Lifting them up, the swordsman grinned at the secret compartment that would be large enough to hide _Yawarakai-te_ until his departure at the end of the week.

'_Jackpot! Alright…now I just gotta figure a good time to polish it…'_ a wry grin came to his face as he remembered the other times he'd tried to polish the blade. The ethereal glow sometimes made it difficult to tell whether his efforts were productive or not.

Gripping the blade in his hands, Keitaro gently pulled it from its scabbard, the room instantly becoming awash with divine white light. Reluctantly, he sheathed the blade again before placing it in the compartment and shutting the lid.

"Alright…one problem down, now to find a spot where I can trai-"

"Hey, Taro-chan!"

Keitaro jumped in surprise, a hand quickly going to the hilt of _Ginōkami_ before stopping himself when he recognized Kitsune kneeling next him, an amused smirk on her face, "Dammit Oni-Kitsune, don't DO that!"

"Now why would you call your nee-chan such a terrible, mean name Taro-chan?" her fake pout and crocodile tears did nothing to phase the young man, who shot her a deadpan look in return, "…because you're a pranking demon who doesn't know the meaning of the word restraint."

"Aww, I didn't get ya _that _bad back in school, did I?" the voluptuous trouble maker asked innocently, "Besides, it's not mah fault ya had such adorable reactions, I didn't even have to try that hard!"

Keitaro facepalmed yet again (something that was a normal occurrence whenever Kitsune was around him) as the playful woman brought up memories he'd rather forget, "Sheesh…why do you have to be so…so…"

"So…what?" Kitsune asked, leaning in dangerously close to Keitaro's face, making the man blush something fierce, "What do you think of me, Taro-chan~?"

Her seductive voice mixed with the lovely feminine scent she wore nearly drove the poor man insane, the interim landlord barely managing to keep his composure as the woman seemed to inch closer-

"Kitsune…could you please not turn my study partner into a pile of mush with your jokes? I still need him for later."

The two tilted their heads to the ceiling, where they saw Naru's upside down head poking into the room from a rather large hole. Keitaro raised a curious eyebrow at the brunette, "Uhh…has that hole always been there?"

"Mhmm! Me and Granny use it to talk sometimes when she's around," Naru answered before turning to her best friend, "I thought you said you were going back to your room to write some article."

Kitsune got to her feet and dusted her knees off before replying, "I was…then I noticed Taro-chan's door was open so I decided to pop in and say hi!" she engulfed the now standing man in a hug, purposely crushing her sizeable assets to his back, "I haven't seen him in forever, so I thought we'd…catch up a bit."

Keitaro fought hard against the urge to channel his ki and throw the woman off him, instead electing to just let the moment pass. _'If I did, she'd just hop back on anyway…how the hell am I gonna survive a week living with this demon?'_

Deciding that she'd seen her friend in enough distress for one day, Naru shot a blank look at the amorous older woman, "…well you can catch up with him later in the week. I figured now would be a good time to get some studying in before dinner."

"Alright, alright, I know when I'm beat," the vulpine-like woman reluctantly released Keitaro from her hold and sauntered out of the room, making a point to sway her shapely hips as she got one last parting shot, "Don't do anything with him that I wouldn't do, Naru-chan!"

The sound of embarrassed stuttering and vehement denials from the two students followed the grinning vixen next door to her room.

* * *

"I swear…I lose at least a year of my life when I'm near that woman," Keitaro complained as he sat at the small desk in his room, "Thanks for saving me back there, Naru-san."

The lovely brunette waved her hand dismissively, "It's no big. I forgot how much she liked to mess with you, but then again, you DO make it really easy for her," she smirked at the swordsman from her seat on the rolled-up futon, "I never woulda thought you'd be so afraid of girls."

"I'm not afraid of girls, dammit!" Keitaro yelled comically, sending Naru into a fit of giggles, "it's just her that puts me on edge! Normally I can read people just fine, but with her I have no frickin idea! It's annoying!"

His study partner/friend did her best to settle down, wiping a tear of mirth from her eyes, "Ok, ok, whatever you say, Keitaro-san. So how about we get to studying? Cram school starts the day after tomorrow, but it won't hurt to get ready for it early."

The swordsman nodded, glad to be off the topic of the troublesome Kitsune, "I hear ya. Wanna head to the library?"

Naru giggled again, confusing the young heir, "Silly, we can just study here. I have a kotatsu in my room so we can stay warm, and Shinobu'll call us down when it's time for dinner."

Keitaro's brow creased as he remembered the timid bluenette that stuck up for him against Motoko, "Hmm…I think I'll skip dinner, since I had a big breakfast. While you and the girls eat, I'll go find a spot to train."

"You sure? Shinobu's cooking is top notch," Naru questioned, feeling puzzled at her friend's plans to train instead of eat dinner with her and the others. When he nodded, she simply shrugged the matter off and proceeded to jump into the hole in the ceiling, pulling herself into her room. When she cleared the hole, she turned back to look down at her study partner, "Just gimme a minute to freshen up my room a bit, then you can come on up."

"…I doubt it's that messy," Keitaro quipped, before dodging a stuffed animal that Naru threw at him from above, "Oi!"

"I'm a girl, dammit! I can't just let a guy into my room when it's not clean!" she yelled before sealing the hole with a wooden tile. Keitaro sighed as he sat in the middle of his room and began to meditate in preparation for the study session.

'…_why are girls so impossible…?'_

* * *

After studying for a few hours with Naru, Keitaro bid her goodbye as she headed for dinner. Despite her best attempts, including her infamous 'pout of death', the lovely brunette was unable to convince him to join her and her dormmates.

Heading up the stairs, the young swordsman found himself on an empty deck with a line strung up for drying laundry. Looking around, he took a deep breath of the early evening air, "This place seems more alive than the park at home…perfect to get some training done."

Unsheathing _Ginōkami_, the swordsman took a few practice swings before setting himself into an attack stance. For the next several minutes, he went through his katas, the blade whistling in the air from the speed of his swings. Keitaro shut out everything on the outside, focusing purely on being at one with his father's sword.

'_It almost feels like he's here with me somehow,' _he reflected as he began practicing a different set of attack techniques. He was brought out of his reverie by a timid, awed voice.

"So…pretty…"

Pausing, Keitaro turned to the stairs, where a blushing Shinobu stood watching him with a book in her hands. "Oh, hey Shinobu-chan. What's up?"

"Oh! Um," the girl fidgeted in place as she stared at the ground, too embarrassed to look the man in the eye, "Well…you didn't c-come down for dinner so…I-I was w-wondering if you were alright."

The swordsman chuckled, "Yea, I'm ok. Sorry for worrying you," he glanced at the book in her hands, "Hey, what do you have there?"

Shinobu brought the book up to her chest, "Oh, it's just some homework I was going to start. I'm really not that good at math, and I-I figured I'd ask Naru-sempai if she could help."

"Oh, is that so?" Keitaro sheathed his blade and walked over to the bluenette, "Mind if I take a look? Maybe I can help a bit."

"Auuu…you don't have to," Shinobu waved her arms excitedly, swirls appearing in her eyes, "You were practicing and I don't want to be a b-bother!"

Keitaro chuckled and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "Hey, take it easy! I don't mind at all. Consider it my apology for not coming to dinner. I heard from Naru-san that your cooking's awesome, I'll have to try it sometime!"

Shinobu was about to object, but the small grin on the swordsman's face completely disarmed her. Taking a seat on the wooden floor, Keitaro went through the girl's notes and homework, doing his best to explain to her the different concepts and formulas. By the end of the impromptu tutoring session, the sun had almost fully set in the sky, creating a lovely orange hue up above.

"And then you multiply these two to get to here, and you're done," Keitaro finished. Shinobu re-read the process and beamed at him, "I think I get it now. Thank you, you're really smart, Urashima-san!" she blushed a bit and turned her gaze to the ground next to her, "Um…can I call you sempai?"

'_How can I say no to that face?'_ the swordsman thought amusedly as he smiled back at the girl, "Sure, I'm fine with that Shinobu-chan."

The timid girl blushed again before reaching for something behind her, "Oh, I almost forgot, I made these earlier today. Please try some."

Keitaro looked down and saw a small plate of assorted cookies, "Don't mind if I do, thank you." After popping one into his mouth, the swordsman's face lit up, "These are amazing!"

"R-Really? I just l-learned how to make them today," Shinobu giggled, feeling much more at ease with the man next to her, "I'm glad you like them!"

Seeing her smile brought another painful lance through Keitaro's chest as he once again saw the frightening similarities between the bluenette and his deceased sister, _'The more I spend time with this one, the more she reminds me of her…you two would've gotten along perfect together…'_

Rising from her spot on the floor, Shinobu walked past the laundry deck and onto the roof, "It's funny I found you here, actually…right next to my favorite place," she began as she ventured further onto the slope of the roof. Keitaro got up and joined her, making sure he could catch her if she fell, "Interesting…you can see the whole city from this place. It's a beautiful view."

"C-Can I ask you a strange question, Sempai?" Shinobu asked from her spot next to him. Seeing him nod, she walked back to the deck and placed her hands at the railing, "How does it feel to shoot for a goal like Todai?"

Keitaro scratched the back of his head as he also returned to the deck, "Well…it's a bit hard to describe really…"

The bluenette smiled sadly, "I-It must be amazing…to aim for such a high place, knowing you'll make it for sure. But m-me on the other hand," her gaze drooped as she hung over the railing a bit, "I'm so stupid…I could study for an eternity, and still never get in."

The swordsman felt his heart ache at the sorrowful tone in the bluenette's voice, before pushing it away and gently grabbing her shoulder, "That's a damn lie. You have just as good a chance as anyone else."

"You don't understand, Sempai. You're really smart so," Shinobu began, but Keitaro interrupted her.

"It's not just about being smart, it's about having the will to see things through, and a strong enough desire to reach for your goals," he said in a warm, firm voice that resonated within the small girl before him, "If you have the right mindset, then almost anything is possible. So cheer up, and go for it Shinobu-chan."

Shinobu looked up at him in awe, a deep blush on her cheeks, before nodding and giving him a wide smile, "I will! Thank you!"

"No problem," Keitaro grinned and let go of her shoulder, the young girl's smile waning a bit as she felt the warmth of his hand leave her. Shaking her head, she turned to the stairs to leave, "To be honest, my grades in school haven't been so good for a while, so I was feeling really nervous about it. But you've given me hope! Will you help me study again?"

The swordsman didn't hesitate, "I'll do what I can. It may be a bit tough after I go home again, but we'll work something out for sure."

The shy young girl smiled again and waved before heading down the stairs, completely oblivious as she passed Naru, who'd been trying to find her friend and arrived in time to hear his pep-talk. Looking up the stairs, the bespectacled brunette could barely make out the swordsman resuming his training. Slowly, a smile drew itself on her face.

'_Well aren't you a little softie Keitaro-san…'_

* * *

The next morning, Kitsune stretched as she, Motoko, and Suu walked past the now occupied manager's room. Noticing the door was open, the flirtatious woman peeked in, only to see Keitaro meditating in the middle of his room, his back turned to them.

"Well look at that," the flirtatious woman preened, "Up and meditatin at first light! He really is just like you, isn't he Motoko-chan?"

The kendo girl frowned and took a quick peek into the room as well, "I have nothing in common with that perverted bastard, Kitsune-sempai. Do well to remember that."

"Sheesh, lighten up, will ya?" Kitsune sighed. Suu looked between the two before glancing behind her at the sound of footsteps. Seeing Shinobu and Naru walking towards them, she grinned and waved, "Mornin you two!"

"Good morning!" Shinobu returned the greeting enthusiastically. Noticing the others peeking into the manager's room, the young homemaker walked up to the door and sighed at the sight of her Sempai, "Wow…Sempai's so cool."

"I never knew he was into meditating," Naru mused as she glanced into the room, "he does a lot of the same things you do, Motoko."

"As I just finished telling Kitsune-sempai, me and that _monkey_ are nothing alike," Motoko growled and walked off stiffly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have training to get to."

Suu watched the taller girl walk off, "Suu doesn't get it. Why does Motoko hate Keitaro so much? He's really nice!" she asked the older girls. Kitsune rubbed a hand in the foreigner's hair, "She's just takin a while to warm up to 'im. Give it a couple more days, and she'll start to like him just as much as you do."

Heedless of the others' conversation, Shinobu watched as her Sempai meditated a bit longer before perking up, "Right! I have to do my best too!"

Silence prevailed as Shinobu became the subject of three different stares. Noticing the attention on her, the young girl blushed, "Oh…sorry!"

"Workin hard too, huh? Feelin inspired by your new crush, Shinobu-chan?" Kitsune teased, causing the homemaker to redden and wave her arms about her wildly in an attempt to deny the accusation. Naru sighed as she watched them carry on, "Kitsune, please don't tease her this early in the morning."

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Naru," Kitsune whined before saddling up to her friend's side, "But ya know…despite him bein all lone wolf yesterday, this place seems like it perked up a bit when he got here, ya know?"

Glancing back into the room and briefly recalling the uplifting talk the swordsman had given to Shinobu, the bespectacled Todai aspirant smiled, "Yea…I guess you could say that. Anyway, let's go get breakfast."

As the girls headed downstairs, Keitaro finally came out of his meditation-induced trance. Glancing around questioningly, the young man scratched the back of his head.

"Why do I feel like I missed something?"

* * *

That night, Keitaro found himself going over his homework assignments for the next day, the small table he was sitting at strewn with several papers. Going over the problems he'd solved one last time, he let out a sigh of relief.

"That takes care of that. Better pack these away before I forget them in the morning," he said to himself as he began packing away his assignments, leaving the table bare save for his _tenchuu _journal. Staring at it for a moment, the Mononobe heir picked it up and flipped through the pages until he found the charts and lists of the Tachibana Pillars.

'_It's only been a few weeks…I'll have to wait at least a couple more months before I can go after the next one.'_

The sound of a plate being set on the table jostled the young swordsman out of his calculative thoughts. Glancing up from his seat on the floor, Keitaro finally noticed Naru as she finished setting down a plate of oddly-shaped rice balls, an additional plate with a small tea kettle and two tea mugs held in her other hand.

"Still hard at work, huh?" the brunette asked as she took a seat next to the young swordsman. Keitaro chuckled, "Actually, I just finished up the assignments for tomorrow a couple minutes ago," he pointed at the rice balls on the table, "I see you still can't shape rice balls properly to save your life."

"Jerk!" Naru playfully punched the man in the arm, eliciting another round of chuckling from him, "I made them for you, but if you're gonna make fun of me, then I'll just take em back."

"I was kiddin, take it easy," Keitaro placated, raising his arms in mock surrender, "Thanks though. You didn't have to do this for me."

Naru smiled at her friend and shook her head, "Yes, I did. I heard what you told Shinobu on the deck yesterday. She's been really upset about her grades lately, and what you told her seemed to get her back to normal."

Keitaro turned his head to better face the girl next to him, "I don't think I did anything special. She's a bright kid that just needs to have a little more faith in herself," he reached for one of the misshapen rice balls and took a bite, "wow…delicious! You're a pretty good cook yourself."

The brunette blushed at the man's praise, "T-thanks…but seriously, she's really starting to get back to her regular self because of you, so," she poked Keitaro's forehead, grinning, "give yourself some more credit, mister!"

"Well when you put up an argument like that," Keitaro laughed, before focusing his gaze a bit more on Naru. She was sitting in front of the balcony, with the starry night sky and slight view of the city below acting as the perfect backdrop. He felt the faint stirrings of something as he took in how the brunette's hair seemed to shine in the moonlight, courtesy of the dimmed lights in his room.

"Huh…can't believe I never noticed before," Naru's voice brought the contemplative man out of his muse, only to start fighting off a blush as he noticed the lovely girl's face was a lot closer to his than he remembered, "Huh? Noticed what?"

"When I look at you up close like this, you're actually pretty cute," her words destroyed Keitaro's final defenses, the man's cheeks coloring instantly, "Heh...I really don't know how to respond to that…thank you?"

Naru giggled before she noticed the journal on the table, "Hey, what's this?"

Keitaro quickly grabbed up the book before she could see its contents, "It's nothing…just a regular old journal!"

"You keep a journal? Lemme see," Naru reached for the book, but Keitaro lifted it into the air above his head. Growing determined, the bespectacled girl tackled Keitaro's chest, laying them both flat against the floor.

"C'mon, hand it over!"

"Not a chance! It's just a dingy old book, no big deal!"

"If it's not such a big deal, then lemme see it!"

This was the scene Kitsune, Motoko, Shinobu, and Suu walked in on only minutes later, the mischievous prankster of the group giggling at the sight, "Why Naru, I didn't know you 'n Taro-chan were so close! I'm jealous!"

Stopping at the sound of her voice, the two grew painfully aware of their current state: Keitaro was lying on the ground on his back between Naru's legs, the girl half straddling, half lying on top of him. Both could feel their chests squished against each other's, and their faces were close enough that they could feel the other's quick breaths.

Before anyone else could comment, the two sprang away from each other as if repelled by a magnet, and stood up from their spot on the ground, "D-d-don't you knock anymore, Oni-Kitsune?!" Keitaro stammered out as he tried to wipe the blush from his face unsuccessfully.

"….What did I tell you about acts of perversion in the Hinata-sou, Urashima-teme…" Motoko growled as she began to unsheathe her _Shisui_. Shinobu looked at her two sempais teary-eyed while Suu was giving them a playful smile, "That game Keitaro and Naru were playing looked like fun! Can Suu play too?"

"Nothing happened Kitsune!" Naru defended staunchly, her friend staring at her disbelievingly, "Honest! We were just talking!"

"Looked like y'all were doin a lot more than talkin," Kitsune pouted, "Ya shoulda called me over! I wanna 'talk' to Taro-chan too, and you had 'im all to yourself for almost a year!"

As the commotion within the room continued, no one noticed the buxom figure of Haruka standing just outside the door, a smirk on her face as she watched Keitaro's interactions with the residents.

'_Well how 'bout that…looks like Kei-chan's fitting in just fine. Hina's gonna love this…'_

* * *

"Are they always like that?" Keitaro asked his friend as the two walked to the tram across from Haruka's tea house. After the craziness of the previous night, in which the swordsman had to evade a furious Motoko's attacks, Keitaro was beginning to second-guess his choice to stay at the Hinata-sou until Hina returned. Next to him, Naru sighed in exasperation.

"Not all the time…it's mostly Kitsune that gets everyone riled for one reason or another. You just became a convenient target."

The Mononobe heir hung his head dejectedly as they approached the tracks. Spotting something gleaming in the early morning sunlight to his side, Keitaro turned and saw a mini print shop across the street. Immediately, he was bombarded by a long-forgotten memory.

* * *

"_Hey, Kyo-nii,' a 5-year old Saya pulled on Kyoshiro's hand curiously, 'What's that over there?"_

"_I think that's a photo booth or somethin," a 9-year old Kyoshiro answered as the two came to a stop next to the booth. "It takes pictures and you can pick really funny or really cool frames. You wanna try?"_

"_Can we?" Saya asked excitedly. At her brother's nod, she cheered, "Yay! C'mon, Kyo-nii!"_

"_Ok, ok, let's go!"_

* * *

"Keitaro?"

"Huh?" Keitaro looked over at Naru, who was staring at him worriedly, "What's up?"

"I was gonna ask _you_ that," the brunette answered, "You looked across the street and then froze for five minutes…"

Mentally, the young man cursed as he regained his composure, "I did? Sorry about that. The booth over there caught my attention for a second."

Naru followed her friend's eyes over to the mini photo booth, "Don't tell me you're into those things," she teased.

"I used to be when I was a kid," Keitaro began, fighting to keep the pain out of his voice as he remembered his old collection of print booth photos he'd taken with his family. The book was one of many precious belongings he'd lost in the fire that night, "but I stopped a while ago. It's kid stuff, really."

Before they could continue on their way, a voice called out to them, "There you two are." Turning to look behind them, the two noticed Haruka walking out of the tea shop, a small packet of papers in her hand.

"Haru? You were looking for us?" Keitaro asked as the tea shop owner stopped within a few steps of the two high school students, "What's up?"

"Huh…didn't know you and Naru were so close," Haruka noted, giving the two an appraising stare. Naru blushed slightly and stammered out a vehement denial, while Keitaro simply countered with a deadpan stare of his own, "Haru…stay focused. Why were you looking for us?"

"Well…not both of you, just you. And something's happened. Something big," the way she spoke sent a tingle down the swordsman's spine. As if something horrible was about to happen and he'd have no way to stop it.

"Something big? Does it have anything to do with Hina-obaasama?" he asked. The serious tone of the conversation brought Naru out of her embarrassed sputtering, the girl now looking on questioningly between the two Urashimas.

Haruka sighed, bracing herself for the inevitable storm, "It'll probably be easier if you just read this letter," she said as she handed over the bundle of papers to Keitaro. The swordsman's eyes locked onto hers for a moment before they shifted down and began reading Hina's latest letter. As he read further into the letter, his skin began to pale, until he was nearly white as a ghost.

"…no…you can't be…SHE can't be…w-what the HELL IS THIS!?"

Curious, Naru peeked over her friend's shoulder and began reading the letter, "Lemme see, dear grandson, yada yada yada," she soon reached the portion of the letter that had caused such a severe reaction in her friend, her face also losing much of its color, "No…fucking…way…"

Haruka simply took another drag on her cigarette as she watched the two, "Yes fucking way. Normally I'd ask you what you plan to do about it, but it's not like you have much of a choice."

"…all my hate Haru…"

* * *

Keitaro stood across from the rest of the girls of the Hinata-sou, half of him wanting nothing more than to bolt back home to the other side of the city and never come back, the other half wanting to find Hina and gut her like a fish.

"So you're probably wondering why I asked all of you down here when me and Naru should be in class by now," he began, looking each girl in the eye. So far, he had their attention, "Well, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna spill it."

"You and Naru have a love-child or something, Taro-chan?" Kitsune teased, earning a round of sputtering from her best friend and the other girls.

"No, you oni-kitsune," Keitaro continued, fighting the blush on his face, "Haru recently got a letter from Hina-obaasama. She decided to leave on her trip immediately due to…_reasons_, and as such, has decided to relinquish ownership of Hinata-sou and all of its surrounding lands to her recognized heir and grandson…"

The girls looked at him confusedly, unable to grasp what he was trying to say. It was Shinobu that ended up asking him, "So…what does that mean, Sempai?"

"It means," Keitaro paused for a second, as he felt that somehow, someway, his next words would throw his life, his plans, and his _Tenchuu_ into a direction he'd never planned to go, one that would change everything.

"…It means Hina just made me the official landlord and owner of the girls' dormitory, Hinata-sou."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, how's it goin? So, first off, my apologies for the extremely long absence. I thought that I would be able to juggle my novel for NaNoWriMo and this, but 50000 words in a month is a lot harder to do than I thought, and even harder when you try to juggle two stories. Funny thing was, I could've used this fan fiction since that was an allowed story type (you can all laugh now). Anyway, I finished the challenge (got to 50089 words before the deadline), so now I should have time to start writing more chapters here again. I won't be as quick with them since I still have to finish the other novel and the holiday season is coming up, but I shouldn't take a month like before.

So here you have Keitaro meeting the girls. I'm not sure if I got all of their personalities right and whatnot, but I'm pretty happy with how things came out. Not a lot of action in this one, and there probably won't be save for one scene next chapter. It's gonna cover a lot, so it'll be a long one, but I can't wait to start writing it. So until next time, stay frosty!

...actually, screw that, stay warm. The cold SUCKS, and we're starting to feel it where I am now...not cool (pun NOT intended).

\- ciph signin out


	5. Rough Adjustments

**Chapter IV – Rough Adjustments**

Under the darkened, pre-morning sky of a crisp winter morning, Keitaro lay on the roof of Hinata-sou with a blank stare as he looked up at the stars. The passing breeze did nothing to discomfort him in the slightest, nor did the snow that had been deposited on the ground the previous day. As he stared at the heavens above, the swordsman sighed and contemplated his newest lot in life.

'_I probably shouldn't be surprised at Hina-obaasama for all this…but dammit…,'_ he thought as he took another look at the crumpled letter in his hand. Kanako had written to him a few days ago, complaining about how Hina had suddenly appeared at their home and 'kidnapped' the girl to begin her training in the Urashima clan martial arts. Over the course of only a few days, the shrewd clan head had thrown the proverbial monkey wrench into all of Keitaro's future plans, as without his sister's skills with masks and disguises, fulfilling his _Tenchuu_ would become far more challenging.

"Speaking of hassles…" Keitaro glanced over at the deck, where he could make out the suspended line that Shinobu used to dry everyone's clothes after washing. He smiled wryly to himself as he recalled the events that followed after the bombshell announcement he'd delivered only days ago…

* * *

"…_It means Hina just made me the official landlord and owner of the girls' dormitory, Hinata-sou."_

_For several moments, not a sound was heard from anyone, as the girls minus Naru stared at the young man incredulously. Just as he thought he might have broken them…_

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?"_

_Keitaro jumped back and rubbed his aching ears, giving Kitsune the chance to grab the letter and the official documents from his hands while he recovered, "Lemme see that, Taro-chan!"_

_Before he could react, the rest of the girls crowded around the resident prankster and combed through the letter with sharp eyes. After re-reading it several times, Kitsune threw the documents in the air and jumped at the swordsman, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing hard, "Yayy! Taro-chan is here ta stay!"_

_Back with the others, Shinobu glanced over to the rigid man and quickly looked down at the ground with a light blush, however the small smile on her face gave away her thoughts about the new addition to their little group. Suu began jumping around in celebration, eventually joining Kitsune in glomping Keitaro. Only one person really had any objection s._

"_I refuse to accept this! A man has no business managing an all girl's dorm!" Motoko shouted furiously after catching the documents to read over again. Shooting the most caustic glare she could at the new manager, the fiery swordswoman pointed an accusatory finger, "You must have tricked Hina-obaasama somehow!"_

_Keitaro, having given up trying to get the amorous freelancer and hyperactive foreigner off him, returned Motoko's hateful glare with a deadpan expression, "…you really think a guy like me could trick Hina-obaasama…THE Hina-obaasama, into doing ANYTHING she didn't want to? Because if you do, then you're an idiot."_

"_What was that, bastard!?"_

"_Trust me when I say this is the LAST thing I wanted to have happen outta nowhere," Keitaro grumbled, finally freeing himself of the two hugging him, much to their disappointment, "Haru… please tell me there's some way to get out of this?!"_

"_Sorry kiddo, but she put the seal at the bottom," Haruka took the letter and other papers from Motoko and pointed at the small Urashima clan symbol at the bottom, "since she slapped this thing on, this isn't really a request anymore; it's an order from the clan head."_

"…_I was afraid of that," Keitaro sighed, seemingly calm on the outside, but internally he was anything but calm. _'Dammit! She always picks the worst time to completely fuck me over!'

"_Inexcuseable! Hina-obaasama must be mistaken…" Motoko continued on in denial. Ignoring the kendo girl's plight, Haruka turned to the only person who had yet to speak their mind, "What do you think of all this, Naru? You've been pretty quiet so far…"_

_The lovely brunette jumped a bit in surprise at being addressed, having been previously deep in thought over the whole situation, "Oh! Uh…well…I can't say I'm really psyched at the idea…but," she cast a tentative look at Keitaro, who returned the look with a slight tilt of his head that she secretly found adorable, "well…if it's Keitaro-san, then I don't think we'll have a problem. Things'll be weird for a bit, but what's done is done, right?"_

"_Naru-sempai!" the Aoyama heir shot a betrayed look at the senior high-schooler, "You can't be serious!"_

"_Well, looks like you're outvoted, Motoko-chan!" Kitsune preened and slyly slid her arms around Keitaro's right arm, the man trying (and failing) to unlatch her. Furious, Motoko stomped back into the dorms, roughly bumping into Keitaro's shoulder in the process. The others simply looked on as she left, before turning to the new manager. Seeing their waiting looks, the Mononobe heir sighed, "Look, to be honest, I'm not really cool about this, and I'm definitely gonna try to find a loophole to this damn order. A guy shouldn't be managing a girls' dorm…that's just ASKING for it sometime down the road…"_

"_Awww, but Taro-chan~" Kitsune whined, still gripping the taller man's arm, "don't you like us? I thought we were gettin along just fine," for further emphasis, she pushed her chest against the wiry arm she held, squeezing it between her twin globes. It took everything the poor high school senior had to suppress the massive blush that threatened to spread across his face._

"_I-it's not that, dammit! Stop being such an ero-kitsune!" he exclaimed, pulling his arm free from the fleshy heaven known as Kitsune's chest, "Anyway…I'm gonna try to find a way outta this somewhow…maybe the old bat missed something that I can use to fix this stupid mess…"_

* * *

"Heh…so much for that," Keitaro grumbled as he brought himself back to the present. He'd spent the past couple of days searching for something, _anything_ that Hina may have missed that could give him the leverage to escape his new 'prison', but the old woman was clan head for a reason. Now, nearly a week later, the young swordsman had found absolutely nothing, and was beginning to lose hope.

"Dammit…maybe I missed something…she is NOT keeping me here forever…"

"Why would you wanna leave? These are some seriously nice new digs you got here."

Keitaro sat up in a hurry and flung a hidden kunai from within his sleeve at the source of the voice, his eyes narrowing and teeth grit together in thinly veiled loathing as he saw Kimiko Tachibana holding the kunai between her fingers, just scant millimeters from her face, "Really? That's how you say hello to an old friend? You really don't know how to treat a girl, do you Kyoshiro-kun?"

"Tachibana," Keitaro hissed, standing to his full height and falling into a ready stance, his hand hovering above the handle of his father's katana, "How the hell did you find me here?!"

"Tch…hello? Assassin? The Tachibana's PREMIER assassin?" the deadly red-head cast the swordsman a look as if to say 'are you seriously asking that?', "If you must know, I've been keeping tabs on you …who'd have thought you were still a high school student…"

Slowly rising to his feet and adjusting _Ginōkami_ on his belt, Keitaro narrowed his eyes at the 'black sheep' Tachibana, "Don' .me. I don't take that shit from Hina-obaasama when she tries to keep eyes on me, like hell am I gonna take it from you. Now what do you want?"

"Oooh, so feisty! I love that in a man," Kimiko giggled and sashayed to the wary Keitaro, his hands itching to draw his lethal blade, "I haven't seen you since your little adventure with Amagai and Mikamura, so I thought I'd say hi…" she stopped only scant centimeters away, taking a slender finger and tracing abject shapes on Keitaro's chest, "…and drop off some information that I think you'd like."

Fighting the urge to rip that teasing finger off and shove it down the redhead's throat, Keitaro backed away and looked into Kimiko's dark blue eyes with a suspicious glare, "Really? And what info is that?"

"The information on your next mark," reaching into her green kimono top, a sight that would cause a regular man to suffer a massive nosebleed, she pulled out a small envelop with a single name written on the back, "This man and his entire family will be coming to Hinata in the next couple of weeks. His kids are taking the entrance exams…ironically, the same exams as you and that brunette friend of yours."

Perking an eyebrow, Keitaro took the envelop and opened it, removing a few photos, family ledgers, and a map with several locations marked off, "Minato Tachibana…the Fifth Pillar, reputed for the largest sized family within the Tachibana clan. Occupation: weapons' manufacturer?" He looked back up at Kimiko, "I thought the Tachibana only delved in medical and ki research. Since when did you deal in weapons manufacturing?"

"Since the Mononobe were massacred and their company, Nagareboshi, fell into Urashima hands," Kimiko answered, turning away and preparing to leave, "Don't let it ruffle your feathers too much though, unlike Nagareboshi, Akasuisei is terrible at making weaponry. The emperor has to keep coming up with polite excuses as to why he only goes to Nagareboshi for business. It's pathetic."

The avenger snorted and pocketed the envelop in his gi, "Well…for what it's worth…thanks," he said grudgingly, never liking to show the woman any gratitude, but refusing to appear impolite to someone who'd done him a favor, "However, if I EVER catch you following me, or Naru, or ANY of the girls here…I **will** kill you."

The venom in his voice was enough for Kimiko to believe he was serious, "I'd really love to see you try…it could be fun," she said before vanishing in a burst of speed, a small puff of snow falling back to the ground in her wake. Shaking his head, Keitaro again adjusted his father's blade at his side and walked back into the warm confines of Hinata-sou.

* * *

"Sempai didn't come down for dinner again today," Shinobu sighed sadly, picking up the now empty dishes from the bountiful feast she'd prepared for the residents. The girls had just finished eating and were going about their own business, with Suu patting her bloated stomach and saying a quick thank you before running to her room, and Kitsune casually leaning back in her chair, sipping a saucer of her favorite sake as she listened to the concerned bluenette, "Hmm…I thought Taro-chan'd be fine after a day or two, but he's been avoidin us for a week now…" a frown came to the older woman's face, "Maybe we weren't as welcoming as we thought?"

"I don't see why any of you are complaining," Motoko said as she rose from the table, "That pervert has no business being here. I for one think his absence is perfectly timed. If he wishes to refrain from being among us, I have no objections."

"Sheesh, I know ya hate men and all, but damn girl, can't ya take it easy on him?" the fox-like woman had long since grown used to the animosity the young swordswoman displayed against the opposite gender, but this was the first time she'd seen that hostility so unmitigated before. Motoko turned to her older housemate with a hard look in her eyes, "I already told you all. He's dangerous…I can feel it in his ki. I don't know what he's done to taint it, but I can tell you it was nothing good."

Having said her piece, Motoko gracefully walked out of the dining room, leaving Kitsune, Naru, and Shinobu to ponder her words. The timid homemaker gripped the dish in her hands tightly, "S-Sempai would never hurt us…he helped me out that time and encouraged me. A b-bad person wouldn't do that, would he?"

Naru sighed and rose from her chair, walking over to the middle schooler and placing a gentle hand on the young girl's blue hair, "No, a bad person wouldn't. I do wonder what Keitaro's deal is though," suddenly, an idea popped into the lovely brunette's head, "Hey Shinobu, there's leftovers, right?"

"Uuuuum, I think so. Suu had more than her usual portions but I think there was still some food left," Shinobu answered, her reply putting a smile on Naru's face, "why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason."

* * *

Sitting at the small table in the middle of his room, Keitaro went over his notes from school, trying to memorize as much as he could in preparation for the next exam. At the top of the table was the envelop given to him by Kimiko, and as he got closer to finishing his studies for the day, his eyes began glancing up at the little distraction more and more.

'_It's still too early to start planning my next assault…but the info can definitely come in handy later…'_

Before he could continue, a soft knock came to his door, "Who's there?"

"It's me, knucklehead," the blunt reply from Naru caused Keitaro to snicker before getting up and opening the door, allowing the lovely brunette to enter. Absently, the swordsman noted the plate of leftovers in his friend's hands, "I thought you already had dinner?"

"I did, this is for you," Naru set the plate down on the table and glanced at the papers strewn over the top, "You were studying?"

"Yea, I was feeling a bit antsy today, so I figured I'd start a bit early," he answered, scratching the back of his head, "I didn't go over any of the stuff you wanted to go through, though. Waiting seemed like a better idea."

Naru gave him a small smile and playfully patted his cheek, "Aww, aren't you sweet," she grabbed a chair from against the wall and placed it under the hole in the ceiling that led to her room, "Lemme just grab my stuff and we'll get started."

"Sounds good to me," Keitaro answered before looking at the hole she was climbing through, "Uhhh…I know you said it's quicker than the stairs, but is it really safe to be climbing in an out through there? The edges look a bit jagged…"

"I've been doing this for a while," Naru answered as she finished getting through the opening and sat on her knees in her room, looking back down and waving dismissively at the curious man, "I know how to be careful, but if you're offering to fix the edges, go ahead."

The swordsman smirked wryly, "Yea, ok buddy."

Not long after, Naru returned to his room and the two began their nightly studies. About halfway through their session, the bespectacled brunette glanced up from her notes at her friend across the table, "Hey…are you ok?"

Keitaro quickly lifted his head up at the question, "Huh?"

"I asked are you ok?"

"Mhm…last I checked I was," the young man tilted his head in curiosity, "Why do you ask?"

Naru placed her pencil down and folded her arms on the table, her soft brown eyes locking onto Keitaro's, "I'm asking because for the past week you've been all…ghost-y on everyone. The others wanna know what your problem is."

Realizing what she meant, the swordsman closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "I wanted…I wanted to stay out of everyone's way. I didn't think being so visible around the place would help everyone adjust too well to the situation."

"Oh, and pretending you're invisible is gonna work wonders," Naru answered sardonically, making the man flinch, "Look, this is a huge change for all of us, and I'll admit a couple of us aren't really all that thrilled with what Granny Hina did."

"Like you and Motoko."

"Let me finish, you jerk!" Naru threw an empty mug at Keitaro's head, huffing in annoyance as he dodged the projectile, "Yea, me and Motoko-chan are having a bit of a hard time, but the others wanna try and make the best of this. And honestly, I…" she blushed a bit before continuing, "I like having you so close to study with and hang out and stuff."

Keitaro was a bit taken aback by her words, although he did his best not to show it on his face, "I-is that right?" he asked, cursing himself on the inside for the slight stutter. Naru, however, didn't seem to notice, "Well yea, I mean, anyone that gets to know you over time figures out you're actually a cool guy…and not as big a perv as the others."

"Oi! How many times do I gotta say I'm not a perv!" Keitaro defended, but Naru shot him a deadpan look, "Last Year. Halloween. Annual School Costume Dance. The Playboy Bunny costume Kitsune forced me into."

"…shutting up now," the swordsman hung his head, fighting the blush threating to spread across his face as he recalled the rather…_risqué_ costume the buxom prankster had tricked Naru into wearing…along with a particular incident he would never bring up lest he wished for death via Naru punch. Some of their classmates STILL had pictures of it.

"But that aside, you're a cool guy. I know that, Kitsune knows that, and you should give the other girls a chance to know that too. So stop being such an idiot and come down to dinner next time," Naru ordered, flicking the young man's forehead for good measure.

"Ow! Alright, alright, I'll go to dinner next time," Keitaro rubbed the spot on his forehead, a very slight smile on his face, "And I do apologize for being so distant…I never was that good with new people."

Naru raised an eyebrow at her friend's admission, "Really? You forget I was a 'new person' too a couple years ago. Look where we are now."

"You stole my favorite spot in the library to study and I didn't feel like hunting for another one. That's the only reason we even started talking," Keitaro replied flatly.

"But you DID start talking to me. You could've just sat there and studied and not said a thing to me," Naru countered, a smug grin on her face, "Actually, you're the one that said something first, Mr. 'I'm Terrible at Talking to Other People Because I'm a Jerk'."

Keitaro threw his hands in the air in surrender, "Okay, okay, ya got me dammit!" he sighed and dropped his head to the table, "Why are the women in my life so damn troublesome…"

The triumphant grin on Naru's face only made him drop his head to the table…repeatedly.

* * *

Rain fell steadily from the overcast sky onto the ground below, melting some of the remnant snow that was still lying around. It did nothing to heat up the temperature, which was still frigid enough to warrant scarves and coats. It was the kind of weather that normally would've kept Naru indoors, if it weren't for the fact that she and Keitaro had cram school. As they walked home, the girl looked at her friend next to her, "Do you seriously wear that getup everywhere? How do you deal with all the weird looks?"

Keitaro glanced down to reply, "I stopped noticing them after a while. Besides, the gi I'm wearing's ridiculously warm. No way I'm givin that up just to avoid a couple stares."

The brunette giggled and adjusted her umbrella, while Keitaro looked forward again and slowed down, "Oh god, not those two…"

"Huh?" Naru looked at him questioningly before shifting her gaze to the two guys walking a ways ahead of them: one tall and lanky, the other short and portly, both with glasses and dressed to combat the cold weather, " You know them, Keitaro-san?"

"In passing," he grumbled, shifting over to block Naru from their line of sight should they turn around, "Remember how you always claim all guys are pervs? Well, those two would prove your little mantra right within five seconds of meeting them."

The disapproving frown that came across her face couldn't have been a better indicator of Naru's mood shift, "Disgusting…seriously, guys should concentrate more on studying and getting themselves set in life…maybe AFTER that they might attract the right attention."

Looking a bit further down, Keitaro spotted three high school girls walking ahead of the lecherous duo, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the two begin to speed walk to catch up to the group of girls, "Well…looks like we're in for a show," at Naru's questioning look, he pointed ahead, "They're about to try their luck."

"Well, they picked the wrong girls to flirt with," Naru looked on with a mischievous smirk on her face, "Don't you recognize the one in the middle?"

Keitaro's eyes zoned in on the taller girl in the middle, but before he could see her face, the girl quickly closed her umbrella and swung at the two creepers, releasing a gale of wind that blasted both of them off their feet and down the road a couple meters away.

'…_that was definitely a ki attack…'_ Keitaro thought as he examined the attack in his mind. Looking back at the girls, he recognized the ki-user, "…Motoko-chan. I don't know why I'm surprised…"

Meaanwhile, Motoko walked over to the downed men, her umbrella gripped in her hand like a blade, "Despicable filth…hitting on high schoolers when you should be trying to better yourselves. Just like the rest of your kind."

"P-p-p-please d-d-don't hurt us!" the taller man shrieked from his spot on the ground. His rounder friend had been knocked out when they hit the ground, leaving him to bear the brunt of the swordswoman's rage alone. Motoko wasn't feeling all that merciful however, and raised her umbrella over her head to deliver the final blow.

"Maybe this will teach you some respect, _cretin_," she said before swinging down, but instead of the downed man's head, her improvised weapon was blocked by another umbrella, "What the-?"

"Now…I may not be an expert in Aoyama clan affairs and conduct, but I'm pretty sure _this_ isn't allowed," a calm, cool voice spoke from her side. Eyes quickly panning to her right, the swordswoman's glare deepened, "…Urashima-teme…"

Keitaro almost reeled back from the acid in her voice when she said his name, but kept a firm grip on the umbrella he used to spare the downed man from further unnecessary pain, "I think these guys got the message, Aoyama-san. Anymore and this could be considered assault. I doubt the heir to the Shinmei-ryuu needs that kinda drama."

For a moment, everyone watching held their breath, as the tension between Motoko and Keitaro began to rise, almost as if they were about to come to blows themselves. After another hair-raising few seconds, the dark-haired swordswoman finally stepped back, reopening her umbrella to shield herself from the rain, "Running to the defense of your fellow pigs…you don't surprise me in the slightest, bastard."

Before he could get a word out, Motoko rudely brushed past him and continued her walk to the dorm. Sighing to himself, Keitaro turned to the other two girls who'd been present, "Oh, Shinobu-chan, Suu-chan. Didn't notice you there. Are you two ok?"

The middle-schoolers had been silent as the grave during the entire altercation, but now that it was over, Suu returned to her bubbly self, "We're good Keitaro! I thought you and Motoko were gonna start fighting!"

Shinobu shivered, remembering the look on Motoko's face as she glared at her beloved sempai, "Y-you two don't seem to g-get along too well. B-but I-I'm glad nothing happened."

"Well we can't just break out into a fight on the street, we'd get into trouble," Keitaro laughed, placing a gentle hand on each girl's shoulder, "But don't worry. I'd never get into an altercation like that unless I had no other choice, and Motoko only did what she did to protect you…although she could've been a little less intense," he said the last part under his breath as he glanced wryly at the two perverts still lying on the ground, "Oi! Haitani! Shirai! Beat it unless you want me to get that girl back here."

The second he finished speaking, the two goofs identified as Haitani and Shirai rushed to their feet and ran away as if the Shinigami itself was on their backs. Shaking his head, the Mononobe heir turned and began walking back to the dorm, "C'mon girls, don't wanna stay out here and catch a cold or something."

"C-coming Sempai/Okie dokies!/Yea, yea."

* * *

"So you stopped Motoko from murderin a couple pervs, huh? Should I start callin ya _Eiyu-chan_ now?" Kitsune teased as she took another sip from her saucer. The buxom prankster had decided to crash Keitaro and Naru's study session, and walked in while the two Tokyo-U aspirants had been discussing what had happened scant hours ago.

"You have more than enough nicknames for me, Oni-Kitsune," Keitaro deadpanned as he continued reading his reference manual for the entrance exams, "Still…that was the first time I've seen such…well…violence from her. Was she always like this?" he asked the two across from him.

Kitsune rubbed her chin, "Hmm…well, she always did strike me as kinda stiff…and a prude…and always tellin me not ta drink in front of the kids…seriously," Naru and Keitaro blanched as the freelancer continued to list all the things the rigid kendo girl told her not to do. Ignoring the rest of her rant, the bespectacled brunette turned to finish answering Keitaro's question, "Well, remember when I told you she was sent here cuz her parents thought she needed to grow more as a person? Maybe it was so she could lighten up a bit?"

"It's gonna take a miracle to get her to lighten up," the swordsman sighed and closed his book, unable to focus any further, "I'm gonna go train for a bit. You can keep going if you want Naru-san, I'll catch up later."

"Oh…uh, ok then," Naru replied hesitantly, awkwardly waving goodbye as the man dropped down the hole in her floor to his room, "Hmm…"

"Penny for ya thoughts, Naru?" Kitsune asked, looking over at her friend with a mischievous glint in her squinted eyes, "Missin your beloved Taro-chan already?"

The lovely brunette blushed angrily, "Shut up! It's not like that!" she quickly frowned as she looked over at the hole, "I donno why, but I just get a weird feeling…"

"Jealous?"

"NO!" she silenced her friend with her shout, "Ugh, whatever, it's probably nothing."

* * *

After grabbing _Ginōkami_ from his room, Keitaro began heading up the stairs to the deck, when he paused at the sound of something swishing in the air.

'_Someone's up here?'_ he thought to himself as he slowly ascended the stair case. As he reached the roof, his eyes spotted Motoko slashing the falling leaves, neatly cutting them in two with a single strike. Marveling at her skill, the Mononobe heir stealthily jumped to the top of the rail and crouched in place to watch.

'_Well…attitude aside, she's gotten really good with her technique over the years. I kinda wish I'd been there to see her improve.'_

Unfortunately, the young man wasn't as quiet as he thought, as Motoko whirled around quickly and threw a knife in his direction, "Intruder!"

"The hell?!" he partially unsheathed his katana, using the blade to deflect the knife harmlessly, "Sheesh, you scare easy. Guess you haven't learned to read auras yet, huh?"

"Urashima-teme," Motoko growled as she recognized the man, unconsciously filing away how the man blocked her knife, "Saving perverted dogs and now spying on me? Your shamelessness knows no bounds."

"Gee, could you pour anymore venom on that?" Keitaro quipped as he got off the railing and stood on the deck across from the dark-haired girl, "I wasn't spying, I was coming out here to train, and then I noticed you cutting up the leaves. You're pretty good."

Motoko sneered, "I don't need your compliments or acknowledgement of my skill, bastard. Don't confuse me with the other residents, I DON'T want you here."

"Trust me, you've made that perfectly clear," Keitaro replied with a stony voice, feeling the familiar pain in his chest at seeing the hateful girl his once beloved friend had grown into, "In all honesty though, this hatred of me is a bit unfair…and stupid. You don't even know me."

"I don't need to get to know you in order to realize what kind of foul pig you are," the scathing reply made Keitaro's eyes narrow, his patience being tested a bit, "Your ki says enough about you to give me an adequate impression. You're dangerous, and shouldn't be anywhere near Hinata-sou."

She shouldered her blade and used her thumb to unsheathe part of it in warning, "If you try anything here against the residents of the Hinata-sou, I'll kick you out myself."

Keitaro's indifferent stare hardened at the threat, his own hands itching to grab his sword as he watched Motoko turn to walk away, but before she could get far, a rustling in the trees grabbed their attention.

"Oi, Motoko! Landlord!" the two looked at the tree branch next to them, the voice having come from that direction. Suddenly, Suu popped out upside-down, "Dinner's Ready! Let's eat!"

"Gya!" Taken by surprise, Motoko's foot slipped and she began to fall backwards. Bracing herself for the pain to come, the kendo girl was surprised when, instead of the hard ground, a single, sturdy arm held her in place. Looking up, she saw Keitaro glancing down at her in mild concern.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, noticing at the back of his mind how light the girl in his arm was despite barely being shorter than him. Motoko was about to reply, when a sudden memory flashed in her mind.

* * *

"_Hey! Sempai! Watch this!" a young, dark-haired girl called excitedly across the dojo floor to an older boy who'd been talking with who appeared to be the girl's older sister. The boy's gaze shifted over to the one that called out to him and he replied with a small smile, "Ok then, show me what ya got, Mo-chan!_

_The girl grinned before taking a stance, pointing her bokken out ahead of her as if preparing to stab something, before dashing forward in a burst of speed. The boy, realizing he was the target, moved away from his other company and drew his own bokken to block. As the girl thrust her makeshift sword out to strike, the long-haired boy countered by smacking her bokken up. Unfortunately, she'd been moving too fast, and ran face-first into his arm, "Oww!"_

"_Oi, careful!" the boy reached out and placed an arm on her back to keep her from falling. The dark-haired girl looked up and nearly lost herself in the boy's brown eyes, his long black hair framing his face perfectly. The boy laughed as he noticed the slightly bewildered look on his friend's face, "Stop bein such a rookie, Mo-chan, you're better than that."_

_The girl blushed, but returned the boy's smile with one of her own, "Y-yes, I'll watch out next time…Kyoshiro-sempai."_

* * *

As the memory began to fade, the face of her deceased sempai superimposed itself onto the face of her new manager. Despite the differences in hair length and color, they were almost an exact match. Regaining her senses, Motoko realized that Keitaro was holding her in the same exact position Kyoshiro did to keep her from falling that day in the dojo.

"Uh…you ok? Earth to Aoyama-san!" Keitaro asked, concerned at how unresponsive the fierce kendo girl was in his arm. Suddenly, her eyes shifted back into focus, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks like twin rivers. Before the manager could ask what the problem was, Motoko shoved him off and ran back into the dorm, trying desperately to regain her composure while her heart was reintroduced to a pain she thought long since buried.

"What's wrong with Motoko?" Suu asked baffled at the scene that just occurred. Keitaro could only shake his head as he tried to make sense of what just happened. For some reason, seeing her look so anguished, so _broken_ for that instant, made his chest hurt.

"I have no idea Suu…I have absolutely no idea…"

* * *

Dinner that night was a spirited affair, with Keitaro finally acquiescing to the girls' request to join them at the table. Even the normally timid Shinobu was literally floating on cloud nine at the sight of her sempai trying out her cooking.

"S-so how is it, sempai?" she asked shyly, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she anxiously watched the landlord begin eating. Keitaro finished chewing and swallowed before turning to face the bluenette, "Shinobu…you are definitely getting paid for this from now on. This has got to be, hands down, the BEST cooking I've ever tasted…PERIOD."

Shinobu's initially mild blush grew several shades darker from the compliment, "I-I-I'm glad you like it, s-sempai, b-but you don't have to p-pay me for it. I like cooking for everyone."

"Nope, you don't get a say. I'll have the paperwork drawn up after dinner," Keitaro grinned, refusing to let the cook get off that easily, "If anything, I'll adjust your rent as compensation. With culinary talent like that, I'd be an idiot not to thank you somehow."

"Dontcha think she'll make a perfect lil housewife down the road, Taro-chan?" Kitsune giggled from her place across from him, another sake saucer held daintily in her hand. At this point, one could almost swear steam was coming out of the young homemaker's ears, "Auuuuu, I-I'm n-not all t-that great…"

Chuckling at the bluenette, Keitaro absently reached across the table for a bottle of soy sauce, when his hand came into unexpected contact with another's. Pausing, he looked down and saw the dainty appendage and slowly followed it back to the source…and promptly cursed in his mind.

'…_aww crap…'_

Motoko blushed furiously at the contact before grabbing the sauce and pulling her hand away as if she'd been burned, "D-don't touch me, you bastard!"

"Uhh….sorry?" the swordsman apologized awkwardly, noticing the slight pain in her eyes before she looked away. He filed it away as he observed the tall girl placing more than the usual amount of soy sauce on her food, almost covering it in black liquid entirely. Naru apparently noticed as well, "…correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a little TOO much sauce, Motoko-chan?"

"Eh?" Motoko blushed as she looked down into her plate, before shoveling as much of it as she could down her throat and standing up abruptly, "T-Thank you for the meal!"

Before anyone could get another word out, she ran out of the dining room. Suu laughed at her hurried departure, "Wow, Motoko's really really fast!"

"You said it," Keitaro's eyes narrowed in the direction she'd left in. Noticing this, Naru bumped him on the shoulder, "Hey, everything ok with you two? She's been acting a lot more awkward around you today than normal."

The swordsman turned to face the lovely brunette and replied, "You're asking the wrong guy…I have no idea what her deal is," he scratched his chin in thought, recalling the agonized look on the Shinmei-ryuu heir's face when he caught her earlier that day.

'_What the hell happened that hurt you so much, Mo-chan?'_

* * *

The next day went no better in regards to the interaction between Keitaro and Motoko, as the girl did everything in her power to avoid him at all costs. It even got to the point that the kendo practitioner left school early that cold afternoon, leaving Keitaro and Naru to pick up Suu and Shinobu before heading home.

"Ok…I think this is getting a bit outta hand," Keitaro grumbled as he tried to remain oblivious to Suu's attempts to climb all over him like a tree. She'd been at it for the past ten minutes, but his restraint had proven ironclad, much to the surprise of the other two girls. At his sudden outburst, Naru glanced over at her rather taciturn friend, "What, Suu finally getting to you?"

Keitaro shook his head, "No, this I actually don't mind so much. It's Motoko. She doesn't strike me as the type to forget to pick up the girls from school," he turned to Shinobu, "Has this ever happened before?"

"N-not that I can remember," the timid girl replied, a sad frown on her adorable face, "She always met us at the entrance…told us to stay away from b-boys and wait by the gate."

"That's what I figured," Keitaro sighed and tilted his head to look at the foreigner on his back, who was currently playing with his brown, spiky locks, "Hey Suu, you hang around Motoko more than the others, right? Notice anything strange about her today?"

The blonde-haired girl stopped her activity for a moment and childishly scrunched up her face as she thought, "Hmmm…Motoko was movin really fast to leave this morning, more than Suu usually sees her. And I think she had a bad dream last night? She woke up with tears in her eyes!"

"Crying? Motoko?" Naru asked, shocked at the development, "That sounds a little farfetched…she's always so…balanced. I didn't think she _could _cry…"

"I hope she's ok," Shinobu said concernedly, "Sempai, d-do you think there's anything we can do for her?"

The landlord sighed and looked to the afternoon sky above, "Other than be there for her, I don't know. Whatever she's working through, it seems to be internal, so she'll have to figure it out on her own."

* * *

Back at Hinata-sou, Motoko sat in meditation on the rooftops, her clothes slightly damp with sweat. After rushing out of school at the thought of seeing Keitaro on her way home, she'd thrown herself into her training. Despite her peaceful appearance on the outside, inside her mind and heart were in turmoil.

'_I thought…that I was past all of this,'_ she thought as she once again fought against the ache in her bosom, _'Why…why are the dreams coming back now of all times? Is it because of __**him**__?'_

The Shinmei-ryuu heir shook her head as an image of the landlord popped into her mind, once again being superimposed over the face of her dearly departed sempai. Unable to bear the blasphemous thoughts any longer, she stood up quickly and began practicing her katas again.

'_Why does he remind me of Kyoshiro-sempai? That bastard's nothing like him!'_ her furious thoughts fueled her body as she pushed harder with her strikes, pretending it was Keitaro she was battling against…or beating down mercilessly.

Minutes later, she stopped, sweat running down her forehead and face in rivulets, soaking her already dampened clothes. She shivered as the brisk winter wind blew over her, but paid it no more mind, settling for walking to the railing and looking up at the sunset in the sky.

'…_Kyoshiro-sempai…' _ Motoko's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she recalled the dream she'd had the night before. It was more a memory than a dream, one that she'd tried to bury for several years.

The memory of the day her world changed forever.

* * *

_An eleven-year old Motoko rubbed her tired eyes and looked up at her sister in confusion. For reasons she had yet to be told, Tsuruko had dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night, rushed her into her clothes and pulled her along as they headed to the entrance of their compound. _

"_Ane-ue," the young girl yawned, "W-what's going on? Where are we going?"_

"…_I'll tell you when we arrive, Motoko," Tsuruko's answer was clipped, and something about her tone brought Motoko out of slumber-induced haze. The Shinmei-ryuu heiress had always referred to her little sister as either 'Motoko-han' or 'Imouto-chan'. NEVER by her first name alone._

_With millions of questions bouncing around in her head, Motoko decided to remain silent as she and her sister entered the town car that had been sent to them. Less than an hour later, she found herself looking up at the Urashima compound. Right at the entrance, she noticed several people huddled together, some openly crying, others shaking their fists with their faces twisted into expressions of rage and sadness that the young girl never thought possible for a human face. _

"_We're here," Tsuruko's voice sounded haunted, and Motoko could feel small tendrils of fear beginning to take hold in her stomach. Suddenly becoming far more aware of her surroundings, the eleven-year old allowed her sister to take her hand and gently pull her along through the large compound. Absently, Motoko realized they were heading in the direction of Hina's office. When they arrived, the first thing the sisters noticed was the pall of anguish that had befallen the room, the source of which could be traced to the old woman seated in the large plush chair behind a worn-looking oak desk. Though her features were schooled into an emotionless expression, Motoko didn't need her budding ki-sensing abilities to know that Hina Urashima was in pain…soul-shattering pain._

"_Tsuruko-chan…and you brought Motoko-chan as well," Hina began, her voice just as haunted as Tsuruko's had been earlier, "I'm sorry for summoning you so late in the night. I trust you received my message?"_

"_I did," Tsuruko's voice barely shook from the powerful emotions flowing through her at that moment, but the small hitch did not go unnoticed by her younger sister, "…I demand proof. There's no way…not all of them…"_

_Motoko looked between the two confusedly, although she could already tell something horrible must have occurred recently. Hina's melancholy sigh brought her attention back to the old woman, who was holding a bundle in her hands. In the dimmed light of the room, the young girl could vaguely make out stains on the cloth, along with a faint iron smell emanating from the material._

"_Here…this should be all the proof you'll need," Hina held out the bundle, her frail arms shaking, not from the physical weight of the bundle, but what the bundle itself represented. Fighting the urge in her arms to shiver as well, Tsuruko took the bundle and un-wrapped it, facing away from the curious Motoko. Upon peering at the contents, the seemingly unshakable woman then did something that Motoko would swear on her life and the lives of every member of the Shinmei-ryuu could never happen in a thousand lifetimes._

_Tsuruko Aoyama, the head of the Shinmei-ryuu, the undefeated prodigy, fell to her knees and wept._

"_Ane-ue!" the younger sister quickly went to her sister's side and embraced her, doing the only thing she could think of to help her horribly distressed sister, "What's wrong? Please! What has happened?!"_

_Tsuruko looked up at her sister, and upon seeing her worried, but still innocent gaze, cursed every deity known to civilization for what she would have to do._

"…_Motoko-han…my sweet, precious Motoko-han," the older sister said as she returned her sister's embrace, "…something dreadful has happened…and I don't know how to tell you this…but…"_

"_What, Ane-ue?" Tsuruko almost began to weep again at her sister's question, but shoved the urge away and forced herself to say those terrible words._

"…_The Mononobe clan…is no more."_

_For a moment, the world seemed to come to a halt as Motoko took in those words. She was no stranger to death, having lost relatives before due to demon-hunts gone bad and freak accidents. Their grandparents had died earlier that year, a loss that still hurt the young girl to this day. But this…was on a vastly different plateau._

"…_what do you mean…Ane-ue…the Mononobe," an image of a young boy with black hair and warm brown eyes flashed in her head, "…Kyoshiro-sempai…there's no way someone could…could…"_

"_Show her, Tsuruko," Hina commanded in a voice that brokered no argument. Nodding, Tsuruko held her arms out to her sister, presenting the moist bundle to her. Now that she was up close, Motoko could easily identify the odor she'd smelled from afar._

_Blood.  
_

_Fearfully reaching out, she peeled back the damp cloth just enough to reveal the items within, and as she recognized the items, Motoko felt a part of the little girl she was die a horrible death._

_Wrapped in the cloth was a bloodied comb, and the fragments of a familiar blade._

_Saya's comb._

_Kyoshiro's blade._

_Motoko didn't realize when the tears began streaming from her face. She didn't realize when she fell to her knees and began shaking uncontrollably, only for Tsuruko to reach out and hold her close as the truth settled in. All she knew was that she felt very far away, and from a distance, she could hear what sounded like a loud, soul-searing scream of anguish._

_Motoko never realized that the scream she heard…was her own._

* * *

An older Motoko shivered as she remembered the final vestiges of her nightmarish memory. Even after four long years, the wound in her heart at the deaths of her beloved sempai and his family still ran horribly deep. After the funeral, she'd had nightmares of evil men coming in the night, butchering the Mononobe and commiting grave atrocities to the overwhelmed samurai. It would always end the same way, with Kyoshiro being brutally murdered before she could do something, _anything_ to save him.

"Kyoshiro-sempai," she whispered, hugging her arms to herself as she fought back another round of tears. It seemed that even after all this time, she still had not cried enough over that horrific loss in her life. She then recalled her current situation, how her new landlord reminded her of the late Mononobe heir for a moment.

"…they're nothing alike…he's scum and a bastard who'd take advantage of us at his earliest convenience," the swordswoman seethed, gritting her teeth to hold in her anger, "He's nothing like Kyoshiro-sempai!"

Her dark thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the other tenants and the resident landlord arriving back from school. Knowing that Suu would immediately rush up to her room, Motoko grabbed her traditional clothes and headed for the laundry room to change. Surely, the hyperactive girl wouldn't think to look for her there.

* * *

"Motoko~! Come play with Suu!" the blonde foreigner shouted as she threw off her shoes and bounded off into the dorm in search of her regular playmate. Keitaro stretched his back and began rotating his shoulders in relief, "Thank god that's over…she's got a stronger grip than my little sister."

Naru looked at him sideways, "Oh? Your sister likes to climb on top of you too?" she asked with a playful smirk, "Should I be worried you'll take advantage of Suu?"

"Don't even joke like that," the landlord replied flatly, "besides, you're scaring Shinobu."

Looking over at the middle-schooler, Naru noticed the girl shivering, her face covered in an atomic-red blush, "Oh…sorry Shinobu! I was just kidding!"

Unfortunately, the older teens were completely wrong about the reason the bluenette was shivering. Many a vivid thought of the non-PG13 kind were floating in her head, starring her rambunctious friend and her (for now) secret crush.

'_S-S-Sempai…a-a-and S-S-Suu…t-t-taking advantage….Auuuuu!'_

"Hey, you ok Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro asked concernedly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. The intimate contact brought the girl out of her R-rated musings, but upon seeing the handsome face of her sempai so close, her mind went on overload and forced her to respond in the only way she could.

With a dead faint.

"Holy crap! Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro exclaimed, never having seen the timid girl faint before. Naru knelt down next to her and carefully laid the unconscious girl on the ground, "Oh boy…it's been a while since this happened."

"What do you mean?! What happened just now?!" the panicked landlord asked, trying and failing to keep his cool. The brunette next to him almost laughed at how out of character her friend was acting, but was also touched by his concern, "Calm down, knucklehead. She just fainted, that's all. It happens whenever she gets really embarrassed or nervous about something," she placed a hand under her chin in thought, "But I have no idea what could've triggered it this time."

Had he been in a clearer state of mind, Keitaro would have called her out as the cause, but in his fearful state, the moment went over his head, "Is there anything I can do to help her?"

"All she needs is a warm towel and a soft place to sleep it off," the bespectacled genius answered, lifting Shinobu in her arms and carrying the small girl to the sofa in the lobby, "I think the towels were in the dryer in the laundry room. Get one from there while I get a bucket of warm water from the kitchen."

Keitaro nodded and bounded for the laundry room, nearly scaring Kitsune when he dashed around her in a blur.

"Well goodness! What's got him in such a hurry?" she asked herself, before shrugging it off as something she could 'interrogate' him about later and heading to the kitchen. Meanwhile, the landlord reached the laundry room and hastily opened the door, diving for the drying machine and pulling out a small towel.

"This should do," he said, but before he could head out, a gasp of surprise caught his attention. Looking to his left, he finally noticed he wasn't alone in the laundry room. _'…Oh…crap…'_

Barely a foot away, Motoko had been in the process of wrapping her chest within her regular bindings, her hakama still on top of the washing machine, leaving her in just a pair of white panties to protect her modesty. Keitaro's eyes widened minutely when he noticed the girl's modest bosom, a single band of the wrappings struggling to restrain the two hardened nubs atop her breasts in the chilly room.

"…Uhh…" the stupefied landlord could barely come up with anything to remedy the situation, and was left to say the first thing that came to his mind, "…why are you changing in the laundry room?"

* * *

'_Well I'd be lying if I said I didn't think this'd be happening sometime soon,'_ Keitaro thought to himself as he watched the infuriated woman across from him with a blank stare. He was currently standing on an islet in the middle of a small lake behind the main property of the dorm. Across from him, an enraged Motoko stood with a bokken on her shoulder. If looks could kill, the Mononobe heir was pretty sure he'd have died a thousand horrible deaths already.

Back on the main shore, the rest of the Hinata-sou residents sat on a makeshift bench, with Suu cheering for the both of them, "Go Motoko! Go Keitaro! Kick butt!"

"So…tell me how this happened again," Kitsune asked Naru next to her. The long-haired girl sighed and shook her head, "I told Keitaro-san to go grab a towel from the laundry room…he was in a rush and didn't know Motoko-chan was changing in there," a deadpan expression came over her face, "Why she'd be changing in there when there's a guy living with us now, I have no idea."

"P-please be careful!" Shinobu called out worriedly. She had seen Motoko train before, but she was unaware of Keitaro's ability with a sword. She hadn't seen the carnage he'd left in his wake after destroying all of Suu's robots the day he'd arrived.

Meanwhile, Motoko narrowed her eyes and pointed her bokken at the bewildered landlord, "Urashima-teme….I've suffered your foul presence among us long enough! I challenge you!"

"…you brought me out here **before **issuing a challenge?" Keitaro asked with a deadpan voice, "I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes-"

"Silence!" the enraged girl interrupted, completely ignoring the older boy's words, "These are my terms! If you win this duel, I will forget all of your past sins and transgressions!"

'…_I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything worth calling a sin so far…'_ Keitaro thought wryly as he heard the rest of the terms, "Ok then…and if you win?"

Motoko shot him a dark smirk, "If I win, you have to relinquish your position as landlord and vacate the premises immediately."

The Mononobe heir paused for a moment as he thought the terms over. While it didn't appear as such to the maddened girl, Motoko had just given Keitaro the perfect out to his grandmother's decree.

'_Let's run this back real quick…win and I stay here, under Granny's thumb, with almost no way to complete my Tenchuu without getting caught…lose, and I get to go home, and make some damn progress while Hina-obaasama's running around trying to fix things with Motoko.'_

The latter option was tempting…REALLY tempting. He could finally be free of the danger of his murderous acts against the instigators of his family's massacre being discovered by the wrong people, and also keep the girls out of danger if and when the day came that his identity was compromised. Even he knew he couldn't keep his secret forever.

Nevertheless, all of this was halted by a single, seemingly insignificant recollection: in all the times he had sparred with Motoko when they were kids, not _once _had the girl even come close to beating him.

And his pride wouldn't let him take a fall now. Not when he was a little curious about her progress.

"Fine, I agree to your terms," Keitaro replied, his voice losing all semblance of playfulness, and becoming all business, "I've been curious to see just how strong you are for a while now…this is the perfect chance to find out."

The residents were caught off guard by the sudden shift in their landlord. Naru, being the closest to him among them, stared in surprise at the nearly-unrecognizable Keitaro. _'It's like…he went from a student to some battle-hardened soldier or something,'_ she thought as she continued to look on at the impending duel, _'…Keitaro-san…who the hell __**are **__you?'_

Motoko was also surprised by the sudden shift, but was able to hide it better and steel herself for the match. She gave a small glance over to the seated residents, "Kitsune-san. Please act as officiator of this duel. It ends when one of us either acknowledges defeat, or is rendered incapable of continuing for whatever reason."

"Huh…I guess I could do that," Kitsune slowly rose from her seat and walked to the water's edge. Lifting a hand high into the air, she called out, "Are y'all ready to get started?!"

"Hai!/Hai!" came the simultaneous reply from the combatants, with Keitaro removing the bokken at his side and holding it in a ready position, Motoko mirroring his action.

Time slowed to a crawl, and the seated audience watched with baited breath as Kitsune held her arm up for only a second more before quickly bringing it down, "Hajime!"

No sooner had the words left the resident fox's lips, Motoko surged forward like a cannonball, her bokken poised to take off Keitaro's head. With a mighty swing, the swordswoman slashed towards the man's temple, aiming for a quick knockout.

'_Hah! Take that fool! This duel is already-'_

Her victorious thoughts were interrupted when she felt her bokken smash against something solid and unyielding, not at all like what she envisioned a successful strike against someone's head would feel like. Tracing her eyes along her blade, Motoko was shocked to see Keitaro's bokken interposed perfectly between her own bokken and his head. Her surprise grew when she noticed the landlord had barely moved from his spot, despite the strength she'd put into her initial blow.

"Huh…not bad. Decent amount of power for such thin-looking arms," Keitaro mused out loud, oblivious to the outright shocked stares he was receiving from the audience, "Looks like this'll be fun after all."

Motoko scoffed and quickly withdrew her blade, only to unload on the Mononobe heir with a series of slashes. Despite her best efforts, however, each strike was either dodged with minimal movement on the boy's part, or parried off to the side. As she went in for a diagonal upwards slash to the man's torso, Keitaro countered with a hard block, the strength of the blow nearly knocking Motoko's bokken from her hands.

'_What…what power…'_ she thought as tightened the grip on her wooden katana and withdrew a few paces back. That blow had left her wide open for retaliation, but for some reason, Keitaro had not capitalized. _'…I can't believe he's actually this skilled…'_

On the mainland, the four residents were completely astounded at the spectacle before them. Not even five minutes into the duel, and already they had seen Keitaro do more than they ever thought possible of him.

"…Naru…did you have ANY idea he could do this?!" Kitsune asked after a lengthy silence, her eyes opened for the first time, revealing them to be a lovely shade of brown. Next to her, Naru stared in equal parts of awe and disbelief, "No…I had no idea…" she replied airily. Shinobu and Suu were so gobsmacked themselves that neither could utter a word.

Back on the field, Motoko reassessed the situation, _'It was a mistake to underestimate him. Nevertheless…I refuse to believe he's my equal!'_ With that in mind, she charged in again, only to be met halfway by a similar charge from her opponent, _'He's gone on the attack?!'_

Keitaro lunged in with a stab to the chest that grazed the Shinmei-ryuu heir's gi. Fortunately for Motoko, she saw the strike coming, and was able to shift to the right and let the blow go by. She was caught off guard, however, by how quickly Keitaro pivoted on his lead foot and came back around with a slash to her midsection. Turning her wrist down, Motoko blocked the strike, only to be sent flying back a couple meters by the force. The landlord refused to give her time to breath, and met her with a flurry of quick slashes, prompting her to counter in kind. For what seemed like an eternity, the two engaged in a dazzling show of slashes and parries, each strike echoing through the forest like claps of thunder in the heavens. The sound of the blows brought Suu out of her dazed stupor and she promptly began cheering with all her heart.

"GO GO GO! GO KEITARO! GO MOTOKO! FIGHT, FIGHT FIGHT!"

Shinobu as well was shocked out of her stunned state and she too found herself cheering, "G-go sempai!"

"This is heatin up! I think I found mah new favorite entertainment!" Kitsune waved a set of tickets she'd brought out of nowhere into the air wildly, "Go get her, Taro-chan!"

Only Naru remained silent, as she continued to gaze at her friend as though seeing him for the first time. On the inside, her mind was a jumble of thoughts and questions, _'Is this who you really are, Keitaro-san? I guess I really never knew a thing about you, huh? Why didn't you tell me you knew how to kick ass like this?!'_

Motoko as well was growing more and more frustrated as the exchange continued, finding almost no holes in the landlord's defenses, _'It's as if he's the perfect storm…unyielding…monstrous…very well, I'll just have to shock him myself.'_

Nodding to herself, she countered another of Keitaro's slashes with a hard-block of her own, throwing his arms up and opening a small hole in his defense. Using the chance, the swordswoman gathered her ki and unleashed her attack, "**Zanganken (Rock-Splitting Sword)!**"

The attack came crashing down on a seemingly helpless Keitaro, tossing up a large cloud of dust as it struck. Motoko smirked at the results of her attack, "Hmph…that should teach you to know your place. This duel is over."

The girls on the mainland looked on worriedly as the cloud of debris impeded their view of the landlord. Shinobu started tearing as she thought of how injured her sempai may have been from that sneak attack, "I-Is he ok? S-someone should go check!"

"I don't think he's getting up from that one," Kitsune scratched the back of her head, "That's Motoko-chan's signature move. Not a lotta people walk away from that one all hunky dory."

"You girls don't know Keitaro then," the four jumped in surprise as Haruka appeared standing beside them, her usual cigarette hanging unlit from her lips, "Nah…that boy's just gettin started."

The tea shop owner's words proved true, as the cloud cleared and the girls, along with Motoko, were treated to the sight of a completely unscathed Keitaro, his bokken held out in front. A faint orange haze could be seen a small distance from the point of the wooden sword, covering the landlord's front. Opening his eyes, he let out a sigh and leveled a pointed glare at his confounded opponent, "**Terukaeshi (Glare)**. I haven't mastered it yet, but thank god I started learning it or that might've hurt a bit."

"…You _can_ use ki-based techniques as well…" a stupefied Motoko whispered, before growling and summoning her ki for another attack, "It won't save you, bastard! **Raimeiken (Thunderclap Sword)!**"

Lightning energy formed around the blade of her bokken, the air around it crackling and sizzling as blue electricity lanced out wildly. Wasting no time, Motoko dashed forward, leaving a blue streak of energy in her wake. Seeing her attack, Keitaro held his bokken behind him and gathered his own ki, "Oh, so it's gonna be that kinda duel, huh? Ok then, I'll raise you one ki-technique with another…**Hinode (Daybreak)**."

To the jaw-dropping surprise of the audience, including Haruka, the landlord rushed forward and brought his attack up to meet Motoko's. The two bokkens crashed against each other with the sound of a tsunami breaking onto the shore, the near gale-force winds released from the contact point blowing away leaves, dust, and everything not secured to the ground away for several meters. The girls held onto the fallen tree trunk they were sitting on for dear life as they were tossed around by the fierce air currents.

"Somebody please tell me they're recordin this!" Kitsune bellowed over the loud noise, her voice barely carrying over to anyone. Naru, however, was able to hear and promptly turned to face her wildly laughing friend, "Are you serious right now?! We're about to get blown back to the dorms, and THAT'S what you're thinking about?!"

"Weeeeeeeee!" Suu cried out, the girl actually enjoying being blown about like a kite in a windstorm.

Shinobu screamed as her grip gave way, but before she could be propelled back into the trees behind her, Haruka reached out and grabbed her arm, slowly pulling her back until she could hold the small girl to her chest, "Gotcha Shinobu. Can't have ya flyin off before the best part, right?"

"R-r-right, thank you, Haruka-san," Shinobu answered shakily, her body shivering as she resumed watching the match with fear and awe of her sempai, "H-he's so s-strong…"

"Ehh…he's ok. But I think this duel's gonna end soon." The rest of the girls turned back to the fight after barely hearing Haruka's words, soon realizing the winds had died down a bit. Back on the island, Keitaro's attack seemed to be slightly giving way to Motoko's own strike.

"Aww man, and here I thought Taro-chan had this in the bag," Kitsune huffed in disappointment, but Haruka's chuckling made her curious, "And what's so funny, Haru-san?"

Haruka took a moment to regain her composure, "What's funny is you think that Motoko's winning. That's just hilarious," the lovely tea shop owner stared out at her cousin/nephew with a small smirk on her face, "To be honest, Keitaro's just getting bored. He's about to finish this."

With the two combatants, Motoko smirked at her emotionless-looking opponent, "Well…it looks like in the end, your power just wasn't enough to topple me. You've been a better opponent than I thought possible, but this duel is over, Urashima-teme!"

"I guess it is," Keitaro answered, but the tone in his voice wasn't one of defeat, but that of a person who'd found out what he wanted to learn, and was growing bored, "You have strength…speed…and a good basic library of ki-based attacks. If it weren't for the lack of experience, and my own vast ki reserves, you'd definitely be at a bigger advantage here."

Motoko narrowed her eyes, "You sound as if you're winning this battle, yet it's your attack that's slowly failing against mine," she pushed her bokken forward a bit more, the lightning energy eagerly fighting the orange ki of Keitaro's attack, "I think you're mistaken."

"No…you're the one that's not gettin it," Keitaro replied, before momentarily increasing the flow of ki to his attack just a bit…only a 'bit' to him was like a large lake to Motoko, whose **Raimeiken **was effortlessly canceled out. Her eyes widened in absolute shock as her strongest move was destroyed in an instant, while Keitaro continued, "You may have the skills, you may have the brains, but you're still lacking. You've never fought anyone for real before…you've never drawn blood before…"

The landlord paused, his eyes gaining a hard look to them that sent a shiver of fear down Motoko's spine, fear that grew with his next words, "…you've never attacked with the intent to kill before."

"Is that right…and you have?" she challenged.

"…when you've lived a life like mine, you learn quickly that the world's a cruel place, and life is more fragile than glass," the haunted look in his eyes gripped the Shinmei-ryuu heir like a vice, the young woman finding her attention hanging on his every word, "And once you realize that, you start learning how to fight back at the world's level…you change, leaving behind who you once were…and become someone else…become…some_**thing**_ else."

"…what is it," Motoko asked in a whisper that only Keitaro could hear, "what do you become?"

Keitaro looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back into Motoko's steel grey eyes, the haunted expression in his own gone and replaced with light-heartedness, "That…is something I hope you never have to find out."

The swordswoman blanched, giving the landlord an opening to conclude the fight, "Well…you've shown me that you're pretty capable in a fight…I think you'll make the perfect test subject for this next move."

His declaration brought Motoko out of her confused state, "Test subject? Next move?"

"That's right," Keitaro lifted his bokken into the ready position in front of him, with his left foot out before his right, "This was the secret technique of someone that was very dear to me. I spent a good while trying to get it down, and I think I finally have it."

On the sidelines, Haruka's eyes went wide in shock as she recognized the stance her nephew had assumed, "No way….kid, you didn't…"

"What's wrong, Haruka?" Suu asked curiously, somewhat surprised at the stoic woman's break in character. Kitsune and Naru also looked over for an answer. Haruka just smiled, but there was sadness mixed into it, "…you girls are in for one hell of a show…if he can make this work."

Seeing his stance, Motoko brought up her bokken and prepared to counter, "Whatever it is you may be attempting, I won't just take it lying down."

Keitaro smirked as his body was enveloped in orange ki, "I was hoping you'd say that. This one's gonna come at ya fast," The ki around him began to glow brighter, forcing the others on the mainland to shield their eyes a bit, "My style doesn't have a name anymore…but this move…could be considered the first part of my school's most powerful technique. **Nanashi Ougi (No Name Secret Technique)…**"

The ki around him suddenly compressed itself onto Keitaro's body, surrounding him in a bright orange outline. He smirked as he called out its name, "**...Shinonome (Dawn).**"

In an instant, the space between him and Motoko was filled with what appeared to be copies of himself, all outlined with an orange ki, but unlike the real one, they appeared to be fainter. Before Motoko could pick her jaw up from the ground and mount a defense, the copies blurred and rushed forward. The swordswoman barely blocked the first couple of strikes, but she was soon overwhelmed as slashes struck her chest, legs, arms, and abdomen in rapid fire. Each blow felt like the sting of an angry sunburn, the pain beginning to mount higher and higher.

'_I…I-Impossible…'_ she thought as the onslaught continued, _'…he's stronger than I am…he's almost as strong as…'_

Before she blanked out, the blows ceased as quickly as they started, with Keitaro on one knee behind her, panting lightly.

"…guess…I don't really…have the hang of it completely," he wheezed before tempering his breathing. He then tapped the ground once with the tip of his bokken. As if it were a signal, Motoko's body went completely limp, and she began to collapse backwards. Before she hit the ground, Keitaro caught her carefully in his arms. Looking down into her face, he smiled at the battered and slightly bruised young woman, "I tried to hold back as much as I could with that strike…it's not really one meant to be used in a spar, but you took it like a champ."

Motoko was in the process of passing out, when she caught his last words before entering the bliss of unconsciousness.

"…still such a rookie, Mo-chan."

* * *

'_Hah, you're such a rookie sometimes, Mo-chan!'_

'…_Kyoshiro…sempai…'_

* * *

"Hey! Hey! I think she's waking up!"

"Calm down, Suu! You're gonna make her condition worse if you keep yelling!"

"N-N-Naru-sempai, y-you're yelling too…"

"Oops! Sorry, Shinobu-chan."

"Here I thought you got all that yellin outta ya when ya chewed out Taro-chan…"

"Shut UP Kitsune!"

Motoko blearily opened her eyes to see the faces of the other Hinata-sou residents looking down at her with relief and slight concern. Blinking to lessen the glare of the light in the room, she asked wearily, "Where…am I? What happened?"

"Taro-chan happened, sugah," Kitsune answered softly, all elements of teasing in her voice gone, "Y'all had the most excitin match any of us ever saw…and then Taro-baka went a lil overboard with his last move."

"Last…move…" the recovering swordswoman closed her eyes and tried to remember the last moments of the match. Instantly, she recalled Keitaro's final technique, the one that instantly spelt her defeat.

"…_Shinonome…"_ she whispered in slight awe. Never in her life had she known such a move existed. There was nothing like it in the technique library of the Shinmei-ryuu, and she was sure the Urashima clan techniques had no such move either. "I wonder…"

"I gave the knucklehead a good tongue-lashing for being such a jerk, so don't you worry!" Naru said as she grinned at her fellow housemate, "You were really cool in that fight though. Talk about badass!"

"Motoko's awesome!" Suu exclaimed, jumping around despite Kitsune and Shinobu trying to calm her down, "Keitaro was awesome too! Suu wants to see another match!"

The injured swordswoman sat up slowly from her futon and chuckled, shaking her head in the negative, "I don't think that will happen for quite some time Suu. I realized from that duel, Urashima-san is far stronger than I am. He's not too far from being on par with the masters at my own school." _'He could be close to a match for Ane-ue…'_

Suu deflated and frowned, Shinobu patting the girl on the back to console her as she whined about not seeing a repeat of the "Fight of the Century." As she continued to converse with Naru and Kitsune, Motoko reflected again on Keitaro's final words to her before she lost consciousness.

'_still such a rookie, Mo-chan.'_

Only one other person had called her Mo-chan before, and she was positive that Kyoshiro and Keitaro had never met. At least, that was what she'd thought before. Once again, the ghostly image of her dearly departed sempai's face superimposed itself again over Keitaro's visage. However, instead of pain, Motoko felt something else. It wasn't a bad feeling, far from it, but it felt like the beginnings of something. She sighed to herself, glancing out the window at the blue sky, the sun already high above.

'_I may still be a rookie…but I will get stronger. In the meantime…I believe I'll try to figure out just what kind of man you really are, Urashima-san.'_

* * *

"So…that move really fucked you up in the end, huh?"

"Not now Haru," Keitaro grumbled out as he held his arm out in front of him, wisps of orange ki seeping out from his palm before evaporating into tiny grains of energy. The two were back in the new landlord's bedroom, where the swordsman had seated himself on his futon and promptly began expelling the backed up ki left over from his last attack. Haruka had opted to lean against the doorframe and watch the painful process, all the while chiding the young man for his rather reckless gambit.

"You do realize that you already had the match in the bag and didn't need to use _that_ attack of all things, right?" the tea shop owner took a slow drag from her cancer stick, her eyes gazing at her nephew with a playful glint, "I'm pretty sure Kazuya-jii never used **Shinonome **in a practice match like that for the same reason you're stuck here trying not to cry like a baby."

"It's not that agonizing," Keitaro retorted, still gripping his arm tightly as he continued his labor, "and I thought I'd had enough control to hold back the energy that normally goes to the blade. Which I did…I just forgot about this part."

The older woman sighed and walked over to the small table near the window, where she picked up an ice pack. Kneeling next to her nephew, she gently applied the ice pack to his arm, holding it in place until he finished ridding the limb of the energy, "Thanks Haru."

"You're welcome," she released the pack and sat back on her heels, "For the record, stupid move aside…I think Kazuya-jii woulda been proud of you tonight, kid."

"…It almost felt like he was right there with me," the young swordsman replied wistfully, his eyes turned to his father's katana, reverently placed on a sword rack on the top shelf built into the wall perpendicular to the door. The Mononobe heir could almost swear he felt a familiar warmth emanate from _Ginōkami_ as he recalled the 'sparring' match with Motoko, "he always did tell me he'd show me the ropes with our clan's ultimate technique…I remember him demonstrating it to me and someone else when I was a kid, but I forget who the other person was."

Haruka smiled, "Well, either way, seeing you pull it off was hilarious…even if you did fuck it up trying to hold back against Motoko."

"Hey, it was either that or seriously hurt her," Keitaro complained as he watched Haruka get to her feet and prepare to leave the room, "Like ya said, it's not something you really use in a spar, but she got me all fired up and I got lost in the moment."

"Just don't make a habit of going overboard…she's not as tough as you yet," she said before exiting the room and shutting the door. Keitaro lay back onto the futon and used his ki-sensing ability to monitor his 'aunt' until she was well away from the room, before taking out his worn Tachibana Pillar journal from under his pillow. Holding it above his head, the swordsman opened it up and looked at the page where he'd pasted the newest information from Kimiko.

'…_to think I could've been free if I threw that spar to Mo-chan,'_ he thought as he re-read the names of all the family members belonging to the Fifth Pillar. The avenger's gaze narrowed as he saw the name of the family head, Minato Tachibana.

'_If I remember right, he's responsible for the Tachibana clan's weapons manufacturing and inventory…and he was one of the bastards that was there that night.'_

Unlike the other pillars that he'd gone after, Minato's family was comprised of powerful assassins and warriors in their own right. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park like the others were.

Setting down the journal, he got up from his futon and left for the bathroom. After washing his face, he took a glance at himself in the mirror. For the moment, he wasn't using his ki to keep his hair brown, so it had turned back to its original raven coloring. He removed his shirt and stared at the angry red scar over his heart, the physical embodiment of his life's mission. The time he'd spent so far at Hinata-sou had been mostly pleasant so far, and meeting the other girls was an experience in and of itself, but the swordsman knew that the peace he felt was only temporary. Taking one last glance at the scar, and remembering his promise to his deceased family, Keitaro placed his shirt back on and walked resolutely to his room.

It was almost time to get back to work.

* * *

**Author's Note - **Well...hot damn.

First off, HAPPY 2015! I was trying to have this chapter done for everyone by Christmas, but life once again intervenes in its strange, mysterious, and slightly inconvenient ways, but I'm glad I was able to give you guys this as a New Year's treat. Little confession: this is the first time I've ever done a battle scene, so if it's a little rough or lacking, please let me know. And also, forgive me for not saying this before, but I'm totally open to questions, whether they be in reviews, or a PM. So do feel free.

So here you see a bit more development of the relationship between Motoko and Keitaro/Kyoshiro. She's starting to have her suspicions, but so far they're based of only circumstantial evidence. Nevertheless, interest has been piqued and you can bet that'll spell trouble down the road for our avenger. And as much as he's enjoyed the peace, it'll be time for him to continue his Tenchuu with a new target. Next chapter we see the re-introduction to the Tachibana. Lets see how 4 years has changed them.

Til next time people.

Ciph signin out


	6. Back In The Game

**Chapter V – Back in the Game**

The early days of February brought about a sharp chill to Tokyo, with biting winds that felt like pinpricks to exposed skin. The skies remained a crisp blue, with small wisps of clouds lazily ambling by above. Unfortunately, it appeared that Mother Nature had decided to continue trolling the citizens of the city below by granting them sunlight, only to flash freeze them at the same time. It was doubly worse that particular morning for those near water, as they had to deal with lake effect winds and little in the way to guard them from the frigid weather.

"Uncle Minato sure picked an awesome time to come visit," a crimson haired youth said sarcastically as he pulled his black winter coat tighter around himself, fighting his body's urge to shiver, "Dad, I thought you told him to stay in Matsue?"

"I did," the deep baritone voice of Heihachi Tachibana answered with a sigh as he looked around the cordoned off terminal in Haneda Airport, "I made it perfectly clear that Tokyo isn't safe right now, but he insisted…something about his sons wanting to go to school here. In any case, I apologize for having to drag you out here, Akisora."

Akisora Tachibana chuckled and patted his much larger father on the back, "Don't worry about it. You needed either me or Tora-nii to get the security forces together and lock down this part of the terminal for Uncle's arrival, right? And I haven't really gotten the chance to do much the past couple days, so it was a decent chance to get outta the house for once."

The Tachibana head grinned, gripping his youngest son's shoulder in gratitude. Neither of them had changed much over the past few years, save for a new scar going over Heihachi's left eye and his slightly graying hair, and Akisora growing another foot taller, coming to his father's shoulder. His straight, crimson locks hung down to the small of his back in a long ponytail, and he'd packed a bit more muscle onto his lean frame, the signs of an assassin reaching his peak physical form.

Heihachi turned to one of the many purple-robed Imperial Guardians scattered throughout the terminal, "What is the ETA of Minato's flight?"

"He should be arriving in another ten minutes, Heihachi-sama," the guardian replied quickly. The imposing Tachibana clan head nodded, "Good. Tell teams seven through ten to surround the hanger, and put teams three and five on overwatch. I don't want to leave a SINGLE blind spot when that plane touches the ground."

"HAI!" the guardian saluted and rushed off to relay his commander's orders. Heihachi watched the man head off before turning back to his son, "Has your own team retrieved the requested vehicles for the convoy?"

Akisora nodded, his bright gold eyes hardening as he went into business mode, "Hai, otou-sama. They'll be back with the armored transports around the same time the plane lands. We got this covered."

"Funny…you said the same thing about the transport that shuttled Amagai to see Mikamura a couple months ago…that didn't end well, now did it?" a cheeky, feminine voice rang out.

The two turned to face the newcomer, only for Heihachi's face to scrunch up into a disgusted frown while Akisora gave an embarrassed smile and shook his head, "Eh…ya got me. But technically my people were only responsible for transportation. Amagai-jisan opted out on adding them to his guard detail."

"True…I guess I can give you that," Kimiko giggled as she sauntered over to them, stopping when she was about three feet away from the two men.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here, _gaijin_," Heihachi growled as he leveled the harshest glare he could manage at his clan's best assassin, "I thought I sent you on an assignment to Iwaobetsu. Was the target too much for you to handle?"

Kimiko scoffed, "Please…those 'terrorists' were a fucking joke. They could plan out a bomb strike on Shinjuku, but they didn't have the sense to watch their drinks…pathetic," she turned her lidded blue eyes to the crimson-haired youth, "I thought all three members of the main family were coming out to greet our esteemed uncle. What happened to Tora?"

"Nii-sama's getting some extra rest," Akisora replied with a slight smirk, "He's been burning the midnight candle for a while now to study for exams."

"I didn't know the police academy was that tough," the buxom woman turned her gaze to the tarmac, "So, how much longer are we going to stand here freezing our asses off?"

"_We_ aren't doing anything," Heihachi gestured to the three of them before pointing at the younger woman, "_You_ will return to your post back at the palace and make sure there aren't any _surprises_ waiting for us en route. Akisora and I will greet Minato and his family."

"Eh, let her stay, Dad," Akisora interrupted, getting a grateful wink from Kimiko and a slightly reproachful look from his father, "Officially, she's supposed to be your bodyguard, right? Besides, my team can handle guarding the roads."

Heihachi was about to argue back, but he was interrupted by the deafening noise of an engine as a private jet came screaming down from the sky, flying right above the group before touching down on the runway. The three Tachibana quickly made their way to the hanger, twelve teams of Imperial Guardians flanking them as they went. During their approach to the parked aircraft, a group of sub-branch Tachibana clan members, identifiable by the red and white bands they wore on both arms, wheeled a set of stairs to the side of the plane, the door in the fuselage opening just as the stairs were locked in place.

"Damn, didn't think it was gonna be THIS cold…"

"Tou-san, did they call the cars yet?"

"Hey, I think I see someone downstairs!"

"Wait up for the rest of us, Ran!"

Akisora chuckled to himself as he heard three distinctly male voices chatter animatedly from within the plane.

The first to step out was a boy of about fifteen, with spiky red hair that shot up from his head like a bonfire. His amber eyes shone with mischief and youth as he looked around the hanger. He was dressed in comfortable black cargo pants, a skin-tight purple muscle shirt, and a long red haori draped over his shoulders. Two crests, one for the Tachibana Clan's sigil, and the other marking the boy as a junior Imperial Guardian, adorned the right sleeve. When his gaze fell on the youngest of Heihachi's sons, he beamed before jetting down the stairs, his black tabi boots making almost no sound as he ran towards Akisora.

"Sora-nii!" he called out before stopping right in front of the older boy, slightly panting, "Man, didn't think I'd see you coming to get us! I thought that was gonna be Tora's job."

"Tora-niisama needed to get some extra rest, he's been busy for the past few days," Akisora replied before closing the distance and embracing his cousin, who stood about as tall as he did, "Good to see ya, Ranmaru. But I thought I told you to stop growing, dammit!"

The boy identified as Ranmaru scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Uh…my bad bro? Don't blame me for getting the good family genes!"

"Good genes my ass! You can blame it on all the fucking milk this guy drinks," another, less brash sounding voice called from the plane. Looking up, Akisora spotted a second boy, who looked almost exactly like Ranmaru. The only differences were in the hairstyle, with the newcomer's hair falling in smooth red waves down to his shoulders, covering the right side of his face. His outfit was similar to Ranmaru's, but with a dark green shirt and blue haori with white diamond-like designs on the sleeves.

"Shut up Rikimaru!" Ranmaru yelled comically while pointing at the seemingly more taciturn young man coming down the stairs, "You're just jealous that I have three inches on you!"

"More like your hair has three inches on me," Rikimaru muttered as he reached the bottom of the steps. He turned to Akisora and smiled, "Anyway, good to see you again, Sora. Hope Tokyo hasn't been too boring."

"Please, like you don't have it worse in Matsue," Akisora joked, also giving Rikimaru a hug in greeting, "I bet you can't wait for Minato-ojisan to hand you guys missions."

Rikimaru scoffed, "Yea right…he's been sending us on chump shit for the past few months…something about team building or whatever. It blows, I tell ya."

"Aww, it ain't ALL bad."

"HOLY SHIT!" Rikimaru jumped and spun around, kunai flashing into his hand ready to slice open the person who'd had the balls to sneak up on him. When he realized who it was though, he cursed, "Dammit Ichimaru! I keep tellin you to stop doin' that shit! I could've killed you dammit!"

Ichimaru grinned slyly, "I had faith that you'd stop before I had to disarm ya. No harm done, right?"

"Some things never change," Akisora sighed as he eyed Ichimaru warily. The last of the Tachibana triplets was a bit of an enigma. Unlike his two brothers, Ichimaru's hair was red with his bangs dyed royal purple, and fell flat against his head. His eyes were squinted, giving him a permanent fox-like expression, however his came off as sinister rather than playful. Like Ranmaru and Rikimaru, he also wore the staple black cargo pants and tabi boots, but with an off-white shirt and matching haori. The lack of color only added to the unsettling vibe Ichimaru gave off, one that not even his family was immune to.

Seeing the three making small talk with his youngest son, Heihachi walked over to join them, "Boys. Good to see you again. How has your training been progressing?"

The three quickly stood at attention before the Tachibana head and replied crisply in unison, "Training has gone well, Tachibana-sama!"

"Now, now, no need to stand on ceremony here," Heihachi chuckled, allowing the boys to relax themselves again, "I understand that Minato has had you running missions, yes?"

"More like errands," Ranmaru grumbled, with Rikimaru nodding his head in agreement, "He only sent us out on, what, three assassination missions? Or was it four?"

"It was five, little bro," Ichimaru's condescendingly smooth voice chimed in, earning an annoyed glance from the more fiery triplet, "not that we really had to do much. They were just crooked businessmen and thieves. Barely put up a fight."

Heihachi nodded, "Well that's normal. Since you're still young, you won't be seeing many of those types of missions so soon. Even Akisora is only just getting started on larger assignments, and he'll only be able to do a few due to his academics."

"You say that as if he won't manage to find a way to do more behind your back."

Five sets of eyes turned to Kimiko as she sauntered up to the group, stopping next to Akisora. Turning to the triplets, she smirked. "Well would you look at that…the little guys are all grown up now. I remember when you were all adorable little babes drooling in your cribs…my, where does the time go?"

"I donno, maybe you should go find out, _gaijin_," Ranmaru growled, leveling a harsh glare at the assassin, Rikimaru following suit. Ichimaru's expression remained unchanged, the boy going so far as to extend his hand, "Don't mind them…they're still cranky from the flight."

"When do I ever mind them, Ichi-kun?" Kimiko scoffed mockingly as she shook her cousin's hand, "While some boys mature when they grow up, others seem to get worse…this is just an extreme case."

"If you are quite finished," Heihachi growled, having grown tired of Kimiko's presence, "Might I suggest you go help the rest of the sub-branch members get the boys luggage loaded up? We're on a tight schedule here."

Kimiko's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, "Sure thing…Sora, I'll see you later."

"Later, Kimi-nee," Akisora replied as the woman walked over to a group of sub-branch servants who seemed to be struggling. Turning back to his father, the boy sighed, "Did you really have to do that, dad?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Heihachi dismissed as he walked back to the plane, "In anycase, I believe Minato is about to disembark."

Right on cue, the last person to step off the plane was a grizzled looking man who was more massive in bulk than Heihachi, with long, wild black and red hair that went down to the small of his back, intimidating amber eyes, and a scruffy beard. Dressed in his full Imperial Guardian uniform, comprised of a rich purple gi, gold hakama, and a more elaborate looking haori than his sons', the man could be mistaken for a member of the imperial family rather than their guardian. Heihachi stepped back a bit from the stairs to give the man some room, "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Minato."

Minato Tachibana strode over to his younger brother until he was literally a few feet away, and fixed him with a hard stare, "…you've grown fat."

All eyes in the hanger turned to the two large men, some of them fearfully. No one had _ever_ insulted the clan head in such a way before to his face, with good reason as Heihachi towered over nearly all of them all like a monstrous body-builder. The two brothers however weren't even paying attention to the crowd around them, only focused on staring intently at the other.

The stand-off was finally broken when Heihachi slowly walked up to his brother and, to everyone's surprise, began rubbing the older man's sizeable stomach, "So…how many months?"

"Hah! You cheeky bastard!" Minato replied jovially as he playfully swung at Heihachi before embracing him in a fierce hug, "It's good to see you, _otouto-sama_."

"The same goes for me, _aniki_," Heihachi replied as he released Minato and guided him and the others to the waiting convoy, "As much as I'd love to catch up, here isn't the best place to do it. Come, the cars are over here."

* * *

"Look at this place…seems so damn peaceful, you'd never think a random assassin was picking us off one by one," Minato mused as he watched the town of Hinata fly by in the window. Heihachi nodded solemnly as he reached for a bottle of expensive sake to the side. The limousines that Akisora had obtained for the convoy all came with only the finest amenities, along with being engineered to physically withstand anything short of a full out military assault…or a natural disaster. Pouring two small cups of the alcohol, he passed one to his gruff brother, who nodded his thanks.

"Ahh, just what I needed," Minato chuckled before a grave expression came over his face, "So…down to business. There still aren't any leads yet, right?"

"None in the slightest," Heihachi growled as he sipped the sake, "we have every police division in Hinata and the surrounding three towns and cities searching, but it's as if this assassin is a ghost. He leaves no clues, no DNA, nothing!"

The bearded man sucked his teeth in aggravation, "Bullshit! There's no such thing as an assassin that leaves no proof! If those sorry bastards haven't found a Buddha-damn thing yet, then they haven't been lookin right!" he fought the urge to spit on the ground, "If only I could've brought Ruumari with me. He'd find this murderin sonuvabitch in no time flat and show him the clan justice he's been asking for!"

"I have some…suspicions, regarding this assassin's identity, or at least the identity of those who may have hired him," The Tachibana head admitted, earning a questioning look from Minato, "Contrary to publicized belief, it has not just been Main branch families that have been attacked. Four sub-branch families were systematically taken out as well about three and a half years ago."

"Is that right?" Minato scratched his beard in thought, "Well, it's not like we really give a damn about those branch trash _gaijin_…so why the sudden interest?"

"…because it was only those four sub-branch families whose head members took part in the _incident_ four years ago…"

Minato nearly spat out his sake and sputtered, "What?! Impossible! The only people who should have that knowledge are either clan members or six feet under where we put 'em!"

"That was my impression as well," Heihachi said, taking another sip to calm his nerves, "However, there are signs in these assassinations that lead me to believe that may no longer be the case."

"What signs are you talking about?"

Heihachi paused for a minute before reaching for a thick manila folder on the seat next to him and tossing it to Minato, "look through this file and tell me if you spot a pattern."

Minato opened the folder and glanced through the many documents, including pictures and police reports detailing the murders. As he read through the gory details, his eyes slowly narrowed until they were barely slits, "…they all burned to death…or if not that then were killed before being burned to the point of rendering them unrecognizable."

"That's not all," the Tachibana head interrupted, "From what the coroners and other medical experts were able to determine, the corpses belonging to either the heads or heirs to those sub-branch families possessed grievous injuries associated with torture…"

"…the ones who took part in the massacre…" Minato felt a small tendril of anxiety run down his spine the realization dawned on him, "…how…how could he know EXACTLY who to go for…I'm tellin ya 'Hachi, the only ones who have that knowledge are those of us in the clan-"

"And those who we killed," Heihachi finished for him, his amber eyes locking with the grizzled man's own across from him, "Kurotora made sure he killed every last one that was in that house. He told me so himself."

Minato leaned back, hesitant with his next words, "He may have…but are you absolutely sure that _he's_ absolutely sure he killed them all?"

Before Heihachi could respond, a knock came on the glass partition, "Heihachi-sama. We've arrived at the main compound."

"Thank you," Heihachi turned to Minato, "Speak no more of this matter in the household while the others are around. I'd rather not concern my son with this matter so soon before his academy exams."

"Consider these lips sealed, Hachi."

The two waited for the limo to come to a full stop before disembarking, the rest of the convoy having arrived before them. The Tachibana compound was massive, located to the southeast of the Imperial Palace, with a formidable wall surrounding the entire complex. The main building that served as the residential complex for the Imperial Guardians was a grand feudal-style mansion, with clay tile roofs and stone walls. Large stone steps led to an extravagant entrance with small tori gates to each side of the entry way. Spotting Akisora conversing with his triplet cousins, Heihachi quickly waved him over.

"Sora, can you go get your brother? I'm sure he'll want to greet the rest of the family."

"Will do, Otou-sama," Akisora bowed respectfully before heading back to his cousins. After hearing where he was headed, the three assassins-in-training followed him into the spacious home.

"Well there they go," Minato grinned as he watched the boys walk off, "Hope Kurotora-kun doesn't mind the company."

Heihachi grinned, "No…I think it'll be good for him. He's been very mature in handling his responsibilities as of late, but he's still a boy. A break every now and again won't kill him."

* * *

"Holy shit, you guys seriously live here?!" Ranmaru looked around in wonder at the fine art and ancient armor and weapons that dotted the hallway. The four boys had gone straight for the bedchambers on the third floor of the mansion, and along the way, the three visitors had seen many pieces of exquisite artwork and revered national treasures. Akisora grinned at the bewilderment in his younger cousin's voice, "Well…personally I spend more time at our main compound on Rishiri Island, but since I want to attend a university around here, I'll be moving in with aniki."

"I definitely wouldn't mind staying in a place like this," Rikimaru grinned, his normally stern eyes alight in glee at the prospect of living the high life right in the country's capital, "So what school are you thinking of applying to? The three of us are lookin into Kaisei Academy in the city."

Akisora chuckled, "I'm not sure, but probably Tokyo-U. I toured there a while ago and I thought it was pretty cool, but Tora-nii hated it. Ended up dropping out to go into the police academy three weeks after the semester started."

"Seriously? But what about all the...y'know…_scenery_?" Ranmaru grinned lecherously, his mind running rampant with images of beautiful women all over the campus…along with other R-rated images of what he'd love to do to them.

"Such a beast you are, Ran," Ichimaru whispered quietly, shaking his head at his brother's antics.

The eldest of them chuckled as they came upon a large shoji door. Just as he was about to knock, Akisora paused, "Hey…did you guys hear that?"

The triplets stopped a foot behind their cousin and shook their heads in confusion, "Nope. What did you hear?" Rikimaru asked.

Akisora was about to reply, but was interrupted by a strange noise coming from inside the room.

"….was that giggling?"

"….."

'Giggle giggle'

"…yes Ichi that was definitely giggling…"

The door suddenly slid open, and the triplets could only stare as a young woman with long black hair, dazzling purple eyes, and pale, delicate skin came out of the room, garbed in a tight blue dress that accentuated her perfect hourglass figure. Upon seeing the newcomers, she giggled in an angelic voice and called back into the room, "hey Tora-kun…Sora and a couple guests are out here!"

"Oh? What's up, Sora?"

"Nothin much, aniki! Catch ya at a bad time?"

"Nah, it's cool. Yumi, let em in!"

The lovely woman named Yumi gave the four a smile before standing to the side. Ranmaru and Rikimaru stared for a moment longer before running into the room, steam pouring from their ears and perverted looks on their faces, Ichimaru sighing and sauntering in behind them. Akisora chuckled and turned to the woman, "Sorry if we interrupted you two."

"Oh, it's quite alright," Yumi answered with a small smile, "I was just leaving now anyway. Originally I planned on just stopping by for a quick breakfast, but well…you know Tora-kun…" her voice faded out as she stared back at the door dreamily, accompanied by a faint red blush on her cheeks.

'…_yep…Casa-Tora strikes again,' _Akisora laughed and waved her off, "Why am I not surprised. Anyway, you remember the routine, just talk to the guards at the door and they'll get you to wherever you want to go."

"Thanks Sora-kun," Yumi replied before placing a gentle kiss on the red-head's cheek, "By the way, Risa's been asking for you a lot. I think the poor girl's in love," she smiled cheekily. Akisora gave the woman an exasperated sigh.

"We already set up a date for this weekend…sheesh, you show a girl a good time ONCE and you pay for it forever..."

After waving goodbye one last time, Akisora went into his older brother's room, where he found the boys sitting around with no Kurotora in sight.

"Where's Tora-nii?"

"He's getting changed in the bathroom," Ichimaru answered, pointing his thumb at the other end of the room. The assembled group didn't have to wait long before the door opened, revealing Akisora's older brother and the heir-apparent to the clan.

Like his brother and father, four years hadn't changed much on Kurotora Tachibana. His skin was still pale as paper, and his red hair still fell down in wild spikes, only now it hung below the small of his back in a high ponytail. He was currently dressed in only a black hakama and tabi socks, leaving bare his well-muscled chest and arms, with several scars clear against his skin from many years of harsh training and running missions across the world. His trademark cat-like yellow eyes still possessed their ability to mesmerize those who gazed into them too long, something the triplets were now subject to.

"Huh, I didn't know you guys were comin today!" Tora greeted enthusiastically, walking over to the assembled group. Ichimaru waved from his seat, while Ranmaru and Rikimaru stood and bowed, "What's up, future head!"

"Aww shut up with that dammit, it aint official yet!" Kurotora laughed as he hugged each one in turn, before walking to his closet to grab an elaborate black and red men's kimono, "So I notice you two were making eyes at Yumi. Gorgeous girl…met her at a strip club a year or two ago while she was working the floor. She's MY favorite though, so hands off."

"Dammit!" Ranmaru pouted, earning another laugh from the others, "Oh well…once we get into Kaisei, I'm sure we can find girls that look just as banging as her!"

"Uh huh, good luck with that. And Kaisei? Don't tell me you guys are gonna aim for that shit-dump Tokyo-U after you graduate, are you?" Kurotora grimaced. Akisora smirked at his brother's reaction, "I already told them that you hated the place, but hey, to each their own. Anyway, we'll let you get ready. Meet us downstairs when you're done, aniki."

Kurotora nodded as the four boys left. Sighing to himself, the young heir looked around his room, taking in the comfortable bedroom, with fine wooden furniture, a western-style king-sized bed with red silk sheets, a 60' flatscreen mounted on the wall across from the bed, and balcony with a breathtaking view of the Imperial Palace and its gardens.

'_Looks like another awesome day,'_ he thought as he went over to his dresser. Standing on top of it was a golden sword stand that held his birthright and most trusted companion, the nefarious black katana, _Juuchi Yosamu_, which he'd formally inherited two years ago. Gripping the handle, Kurotora could feel the dark ki of the blade resonating within him.

"Good morning to you too, buddy," the red-haired heir greeted warmly, "Let's go…bad manners to keep family waiting."

* * *

Dinner that afternoon was a spirited affair, with Heihachi and Minato's families gathered around for the first time in months for dinner while sub-branch servants milled about placing various dishes on the table. The only person not present was Kimiko, who had immediately taken her leave once the convoy arrived at the compound. At the head of the table, Heihachi and Kurotora laughed uncontrollably at Minato's stories regarding his work at Akasuisei, along with the few times they were able to steal a contract from Nagareboshi. At the middle of the table, Akisora and the triplets traded their own stories about school, training and their social lives.

"So then me and her start, y'know, getting to know each other better," Ranmaru grinned as he regaled Akisora with one of his many trysts, "and then next thing I know the door slams open and this huge fucking burly dude stomps in. First thing out of his mouth, 'WHO THE FUCK'RE YOU AND WHAT'RE YA DOIN TO M'DAUGHTER!?'"

"Hah! The classic 'dad walks in on you smashing his little girl'…you should've locked the door," Akisora chuckled, absently waving off a sub-branch member who had inquired about taking away the half-empty dishes of food in front of him, "So what did you do?"

"What do you think I did?" the youngest Tachibana triplet paused for dramatic effect, "…I pointed to my haori lying on the chair in her room. He saw the Imperial Guardian badge and clan sigil and almost shit himself!"

Rikimaru shook his head with a smirk as Ranmaru cracked up at the end of his story, "Yet another abuse of power by our own Ranmaru, ladies and gentlemen. So that's how many times you've avoided certain death via enraged fathers?"

"Oh, I KNOW you're not talkin smart to me bro," Ranmaru countered, "Remember Nagoya? That senator's daughter? From AMERICA?"

"Oh I remember that one," Ichimaru's smile grew as he noticed how red in the face the older triplet had become, "that temporary bodyguard detail we had. You really did a 'bang-up' job o that one!"

Rikimaru glared at his brothers, as if he was willing the planet to open up and swallow them whole, "All…my…hate…you bastards."

"We love you too big brother!"

"Looks like they're having a good time," Kurotora noted, watching his younger brother and cousins laugh at another of Ranmaru's exploits. Minato chuckled before taking another sip of sake, "Those boys can be a handful at times, but by Buddha, once they start focusing, they can be pretty damn scary."

"Well so long as they behave themselves and do not fall back on their…_bad habits_," Heihachi warned, leveling a serious look at his older brother, "As we've stated a hundred times, Hinata is not that safe for us, despite our power and prestigious position."

Kurotora gripped his sake dish tightly, causing it to crack, "It still burns me up dad…those first four _gaijin_ families we passed off as flukes. Then Ai-obasan's body ended up washing ashore in a cheap pine box…chopped to pieces and burnt black."

Heihachi gazed grimly upon his son as he began fuming over the deaths of their family, "Yes…Ai was the first. Then Mamoru three months later. And four months following his pillar's deaths…"

"…Tomoko," Minato choked out, "Buddha dammit, she never deserved to go out the way she did. Such humiliation in death," he could barely finish his sentence as he fought back the tears in his eyes.

"I remember how pissed off Yusuke-jisan was…he flew off the handle and took his whole family out to search for Tomoko-obasan's killer," Kurotora's dish shattered in his hand, but strangely he suffered no wounds from the porcelain shards, "next we heard of them, they wound up blown up in a warehouse explosion…faulty gas line they said."

Heihachi set his cup down, "and now…Amagai," Minato tensed at the mention of the most recently slain Tachibana Pillar, "This was the first time a child was slain as well. With the others, the children were at least eighteen, so we thought the young ones would be safe. Now we know that to be false."

The clan head turned to face his older brother, a stony look etched on his face, "This is why I'm telling you to keep your sons in check, aniki," the clan head turned to the larger man, "I know of their past discretions…the cover-ups, the throwing around of our name and power. For the duration of your stay here, that must END."

Minato nodded fiercely, his face starting to show signs of inebriation, "I'll talk to em as soon as I get the chance."

"You might want to do that after dinner," Kurotora interjected before subtly pointing down at the table. Heihachi and Minato looked over discreetly, just in time to see Ranmaru flipping up the skirt of one of the sub-branch serving girls. The girl, a mousy-looking redhead with brown eyes and a modest figure, could only shiver in fear as the youngest Tachibana triplet continued to torture her, running a hand along one of her admittedly luscious legs. She squeaked when he reached her firm rear, and ran off in tears while the rest of the boys, minus Akisora, laughed at the spectacle.

"Yea…I think I will have that talk with them right after dinner."

* * *

"Hah! Did you guys see her face when she ran off?! It's like she's never been touched before!" Ranmaru guffawed as he and his two brothers headed back upstairs after dinner, "I thought all the sub-branch women were fucking whores or something?"

Rikimaru chuckled, "Not all of em, you idiot. Regardless, we probably should be a little more…considerate."

"Ouch, how hard was it to actually get that word out, big bro?" Ichimaru asked, chuckling at how Rikimaru seemed to hesitate.

"Pretty damn hard. I mean, they're blood traitors who've tainted the blood of the clan by marrying outside it. But these are Heihachi-sama's servants, not ours. We can't really treat em the same way unless we wanna get in trouble with the big guy."

"It's not just him you have to worry about, son."

The boys froze when their father walked into the hallway from a side passage, a stern look in his sharp amber eyes, "Ranmaru. Ichimaru. Rikimaru. I've been looking for you. We need to talk."

"Yes father," the three answered simultaneously before following Minato to his guest room. The living space given to the four of them was about the size of an upscale apartment in Tokyo, with four posh bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchen, and two bathrooms. Once inside, Minato shut the door while the boys took their seats on the plush chairs and sofas.

"I probably should've told you boys this back before we took off," the burly father of four began as he looked each one in the eye, "I don't really give much of a damn about what you do within these walls. Here is home. Here is safe. Outside of these walls though, different story. Your usual _shenanigans_ that you idgits like to pull," he cut his hand across the air to emphasize his next words, "That all stops here."

"Seriously dad?!" Ranmaru whined, nearly jumping from his seat, "C'mon, it's not like we've done anything THAT serious!"

"Tell that to that girl you three messed up back in Matsue a couple months ago," Minato growled, silencing any further protests, "Your older brother Ruumari's been doing his best to sweep that under the rug as a favor to you three, and lemme tell you…he's right pissed at the lot of you."

Ichimaru's smile dimmed a fraction, "I don't see the problem, pops. She knew what she was gettin into the minute she let us take her back to our place. Commoners like that should be grateful we even notice em."

"I'll let you say that to Ruumari yourself when he eventually gets here," Minato countered, sending his middle triplet a dark smirk, "Let's see how long you live after that."

Ichimaru promptly shut up after.

"As I was saying, whatever you wanna do with the sub-branch _gaijin_ traitors here is on you. But I better not hear a damn thing about you three messing with some outsider beyond these walls…or there'll be trouble. Comprende."

"Yes father," the boys replied reluctantly, but promptly.

Minato nodded, satisfied at their compliance, "That's what I thought. Don't let all this easygoing atmosphere shit get to you…we're in a dangerous place."

"It won't be dangerous for long though…"

Minato turned to the source of the interruption, only to find Kurotora sitting in the window sill of the living room, "When the hell did you get there?"

"I've been here the whole time, uncle," Kurotora replied as he hopped down to the living room floor and walked over to his relatives, "Guess your senses are just dulling."

"Or maybe you're gettin too good for this old-timer," Minato joked before sending the future heir an apologetic look, "My apologies for dinner. I didn't mean to bring up an old wound like that. Tomoko's…a really bad subject for all of us."

Kurotora waved him off, "It's fine…she was one of my favorite aunts…and was close to mother," none of them missed the slight hitch in Kurotora's voice at the mention of his mother, "But that's all the more reason for me to find this bastard."

Minato and the triplets nearly dropped their jaws in shock when they noticed a malevolent, purple aura spring up around Kurotora's hands and the _Juuchi Yosamu_ strapped to his back, while his normally amber eyes became shrouded in a torrent of dark amethyst ki.

"And when I DO find him…I'll do to him what we did to little Kyo and his worthless clan four years ago!"

* * *

"Aaachoo!"

"S-Sempai! Are you alright?"

Keitaro rubbed the top of his nose with the back of his hand, before accepting a tissue from Shinobu, "Thanks, and I'm alright Shinobu-chan. Someone's probably talking bad about me."

The bluenette blushed and looked back down at the table she was seated at, "I-I don't think anyone would t-talk b-bad about Sempai…"

The landlord grinned at the young girl's innocent words before looking back at the scattered papers on the table in front of him. Shinobu had come to him after an early dinner for help with her studies. Unwilling to turn her away, Keitaro immediately let the youngest resident into his room and began aiding her with her homework. It had started to become a routine for them in the past couple of weeks, and for Shinobu, it was the perfect time to bond further with her new 'friend'.

"Alright, let's start the next set of problems," Keitaro flipped Shinobu's book to the next page, but before he could get started, the door to his room opened, and a head of long brown hair poked inside.

"Keitaro, could you come down for a second?" Naru asked before realizing he wasn't alone, "Oops! Sorry, are you busy?"

Shinobu shook her head before Keitaro could respond, "I-it's alright. S-sempai's already helped me a lot. I can finish the rest on my own, honest!"

"You sure, Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro asked, but after seeing the young homemaker's nod, he rose from his seat on the floor, "Well, if you're sure. If you end up needing some more help, you know where to find me."

Naru stepped out of the way to let Keitaro and Shinobu exit. Turning toward her sempais, Shinobu bowed and gave Keitaro a beautiful smile, "T-thanks again for all your help, S-Sempai!"

"Anytime, Shinobu-chan," the landlord rubbed a hand affectionately through the bluenette's hair, earning a tomato red blush from the girl before she turned and ran back to her room. Naru eyed the scene with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "Well, well…someone's been getting a little comfortable with Shinobu, huh?"

"You mad, bro?" Keitaro joked back, earning a playful slap on his shoulder from the brunette bombshell, "Seriously though, it's just helping her with her homework a bit. I did the same with my little sister back home, so I'm used to it."

Naru smiled at him as they walked towards the stairs, "I remember. She was the dark-haired girl that interrupted us that one time at the library right? What was her name? Kanako?" she asked, tapping her finger on her temple in an attempt to recall the fierce, slightly-creepy girl with an unhealthy attachment to her older brother.

"Yea, that was her alright," Keitaro shivered a bit as he recalled the incident. He hadn't intended for Kanako to ever meet Naru because he knew how she'd react. Unfortunately for him, he'd miscalculated.

Kanako's initial meeting with Naru had been a LOT worse than he thought.

But that's a story for another day.

As the two passed some open windows, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps caused Keitaro to glance outside…and promptly duck the flying kick aimed for his head.

"Keitaro!"

"Ack! Suu! What the hell?!" Naru screamed as the foreigner landed perfectly on the ground, only to quickly climb up Keitaro's back and take a seat on his shoulders.

"I was just greeting Keitaro!" The hyperactive blonde answered as she looked down at Keitaro, "You don't like my salute?"

"Heh, I wouldn't say I didn't like it," Keitaro laughed nervously, "But around here, that's not a greeting. That's an attack."

Naru nodded in agreement, "He's right. Even if he's a trained warrior, you could seriously injure him if you're careless like that again."

"Keitaro knows I'd never hurt him!" Suu defended as she climbed back down to the ground and turned to face the two with a beaming smile, "I really like Keitaro!"

Keitaro had to fight the slight blush that threatened to appear from the blonde's affections, "Heh, t-thanks Suu. Still, you should be a little more careful."

Suu nodded, but the two university aspirants didn't think that would be the last time she'd "greet" the landlord that way. As they went downstairs and entered the lobby, the three noticed Motoko chatting lightly with Kitsune at the main entrance, a duffel back held over her shoulder.

"Hey Kitsune, Motoko-chan," Naru greeted as they approached, "What's going on?"

"Hey y'all!" Kitsune answered back, "Not much, lil Motoko-chan here's goin on an adventure for the next few days!"

"It's not an adventure, Kitsune-san," Motoko sighed as she adjusted the bag over her shoulder, "My club was given permission to take a three-day training sabbatical in Kagoshima."

Suu looked at the tall kendoka with a lost expression, "Motoko's goin away?"

"Only for a few days, Suu," Motoko answered gently, kneeling down so she could look at the foreigner face to face, "You will be fine. Just remember to be on your best behavior and don't cause trouble for the others, ok?"

Suu nodded, but with a distant look still on her face. Kitsune and Naru looked on a bit sadly, while Keitaro seemed confused. Motoko patted her charge on the shoulder before getting back to her feet and turning to the assembled group, "Before I leave, there's one last thing."

Moving so fast that none save Keitaro could see her, the Aoyama heiress invaded Keitaro's personal space, standing so closer there was barely an inch of space between their bodies. Her steel grey eyes bored into the landlord's sharp brown ones with a stern expression.

"Urashima-san."

"Aoyama-san."

"…"

"…"

"…you WILL give me a rematch when I return."

"…no problem. Looking forward to it."

Everyone minus Suu watched the scene with bated breath, the tension in the air so palpable it could be cut with a knife…or a katana in this case. The situation quickly deflated once Motoko nodded, before turning to the door and placing on her sandals. As she walked outside, Naru and Kitsune let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Sheesh! That was nuts!" Kitsune said as she wiped the sweat off her brow, "I thought we were gonna get round two!"

"We wouldn't just start fighting here," Keitaro reassured, although he too felt a bit apprehensive. Ever since the duel, Motoko had been keeping a sharper eye on him, always watching him from afar. He could even feel her presence when he was training in the forests behind Hinata-sou, meaning she now knew where he went to practice. It would be a lot more difficult to hone his ki techniques, especially his _blood curse_, with the Aoyama heir shadowing him.

"Well, glad that's over," Naru sighed before turning to walk back inside, "Should we get a head start on studying, Keitaro?"

"Huh?" Keitaro turned back quickly to answer, his head still stuck in his thoughts, "Oh, sure. Suu, are you coming back inside?"

Naru and Kitsune looked back at the foreign girl, whose gaze was still locked in the direction that Motoko left. Naru was about to pull Keitaro inside, but the fox-eyed woman next to her quickly grabbed her arm and began to pull her away, "What the hell are you doing?!" she whispered harshly.

"I just wanted to warn him!"

"And get us caught instead?! Are you an idiot?!"

Oblivious to the two women quickly getting away from him, Keitaro walked up to Suu and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Suu, are you alright?"

Shaken from her stupor, Suu looked up curiously at the landlord, before gently placing a hand on his forearm, giggling lightly.

The poor boy had no idea what he'd just gotten himself into.

He was 'gon learn today.

* * *

"Ooooh! What's this?! Can I see?!"

"No…put it down Suu."

"But it looks sooooo cooool! What about this?!"

"You can't play with that either, now sit dow-"

"Wow! You have even more swords and old stuff than Motoko!"

Keitaro face-palmed for the umpteenth time as he once again put another of his katana sets out of the overly curious and hyperactive foreign girl's reach. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only half past eight in the evening, barely an hour since Motoko had departed for her training trip, leaving Keitaro no choice but to let Suu tag along with him as he returned to his room to try and study. Shaking his head, the young landlord turned to see where his new charge had gone, only for his eyes to widen to the size of dinner plates when he saw a very familiar floorboard leaning on the wall.

"Hey Keitaro! What's do?!" Suu asked as she held up _Yawarakai-te_ in her delicate hands. She had barely unsheathed the blade, letting out a small glimmer of its ethereal glow, before finding herself airborne heading to the other side of the room. Using speed borne from panic, Keitaro had reflexively reached the other end of the room, grabbed Suu, and simultaneously threw the smaller girl to the entrance of the room while pulling his heirloom blade from her hands.

"Phew…that was clo-OH SHIT!" Keitaro cursed as he finally realized what he'd just done to separate his resident from his most treasured possession. Channeling ki into his legs, the Mononobe heir made a mad dash for the girl, sliding under her just in time to catch the foreigner in his arms.

"Holy crap! Suu, are you ok?!" the flabbergasted landlord asked concernedly, getting up from the floor and putting the astonished young girl back on her feet, his eyes scanning everywhere on her body for any signs of injury.

"K…K…Keitaro…th-th-that…" Suu could barely speak, her entire frame shaking as the shock began to wear off. Noticing her uncharacteristic stutter, Keitaro kneeled before the middle schooler and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, "What's wrong, Suu? Are you hurt-"

"THATWASTOTALLYAWESOMEYOURESOCOOLYOUGOTTATEACHMEHOWTODOTHAT!"

Keitaro blinked once, then twice for good measure, as the girl in front of him started going off on an overzealous tangent, arms flailing around as she described what Keitaro had done seconds ago. "Uhh…S-Suu?"

"LikeonesecondiwasWHOOOSHandthenkyouliketeleportedlikeZOOMandthen-"

The poor landlord could only stare wide-eyed in stunned silence, barely able to comprehend a word the girl was saying as she chattered about for several minutes. It was only when she slipped into speaking her native tongue that Keitaro decided he just couldn't deal anymore and placed a hand on the girl's mouth, abruptly ending her spirited dialogue.

"Ok…I'm gonna take my hand off your mouth now…and you're not gonna go off like you did again…alright? Nod twice if you understand."

Suu quickly nodded twice, and Keitaro slowly took his hand from her mouth, showing the girl's bright grin and her blushed cheeks. While he could tell she would keep her promise, the wary landlord merely had to look into Suu's vibrant green eyes to know one wrong step would trigger the hyperactive foreigner again.

Luckily, a distraction came at just the right moment.

"What's going on down here?"

Keitaro and Suu looked up at the ceiling, where Naru's head was poking upside down into the room, an inquisitive look on her lovely face. Just before Suu launched into another animated explanation, Keitaro spoke up, "Nothing much, Suu just got excited over some of my family's antique weapons and wanted me to tell her about 'em," he looked down nervously at the blonde, "isn't that right, Suu?"

Seeing the girl nod her head several times, Naru shot Keitaro a deadpan glare, "So lemme get this straight…you're keeping live weapons out in the open in your room, with a little girl that you know for a fact can't keep her hands off anything that looks cool to her," Keitaro laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "…I can't with you sometimes."

The genius brunette withdrew her head, only to start climbing down into the landlord's room feet first. Using Naru's short lapse in attention, Keitaro quickly took _Yawarakai-te_ and placed it back into its hiding place while holding Suu in one arm, his hand placed over her eyes for good measure.

"Hey! It's my room, dammit! I can decorate it however I want!" Keitaro whined comically, pulling a giggling Suu away from the secret compartment in the floor just as Naru turned to face them, "and another thing…you and Oni-Kitsune couldn't warn me?!"

Now it was Naru's turn to give Keitaro a sheepish look, "Oh…right…uh, sorry? I tried to tell you, but Kitsune kinda…dragged me off before I could get a word in."

"Riiiiight," Keitaro sighed as he let go of the foreigner, who quickly bounced away to another part of the room, "Anyway, I'm sorry if we were too loud…it's been a while since I've had to babysit."

"Really now? The great and all-powerful Keitaro Urashima is actually BAD at something?" Naru mockingly gasped, earning her an unamused glare from her landlord, "Aww, relax, I was kidding!" she giggled, gently patting Keitaro on the shoulder in an effort to make him lighten up, "I was just about to ask if you wanted to start studying later. We breezed through the practice exams last month, but the real ones are gonna be a lot harder."

Keitaro rubbed a hand through his spiky hair, which had grown a bit in the time he'd been at the inn, "Yea…I'll probably have to wait until Suu settles down a bit though. Hope you don't mind starting a bit late."

Naru shook her head, "Nah, I don't mind. Good luck getting her to calm down though-"

"THAT'S SO AWESOME!"

The two Tokyo U aspirants quickly looked to the other side of the room where the shout came from, and saw Suu sitting down in front of the large HDTV, her eyes wide with awe and glued to the screen. Walking up behind her, Keitaro noticed the commercial that was playing; a propaganda ad for the JSDF, showing a live demonstration of new tech from Nagareboshi, his family's arms corporation.

'_Huh…I forgot all about that new test,'_ he thought as he watched the infomercial play out, taking note of how absorbed in the commercial Suu was, _'Guess it makes sense…seeing what she builds in her spare time…'_

"Nagirabushi makes all kindsa cool stuff!" Suu exclaimed as the clip ended, her fists shaking in front of her and a look of pure adoration on her face, before her grin fell into a slight frown, "Suu keeps trying to replicate their inventions, but Suu never gets them right."

"Maybe you just need someone to tutor you," Naru said as she rubbed the younger girl's back in an effort to cheer her up. Keitaro looked on with a mix of amusement and sympathy, before a slight buzz went off in his pocket. Taking out his phone, his eyes widened once he recognized the number.

"Excuse me a minute, girls, I gotta take this," he said quickly before walking out into the hall. He took a quick look around, and after sending out a quick pulse of his ki to be sure no one else was in the area, he pressed the answer key.

"This is Keitaro."

"…Mononobe-dono," a wizened, slightly grizzled voice began, "It has been too long."

"Kishimoto-san! Good evening," Keitaro replied, "How can I help you?"

"…We have concluded analysis on the _package_ you sent to us."

Keitaro's grip tightened and his eyes narrowed, "Already? I only gave that to you a couple weeks ago. Shouldn't the analysis take another month or two?"

The man identified as Kishimoto chuckled, "Let's just say that when Inoue-san's division heard the request came from you, they put in quite a bit of overtime."

"They really didn't have to do that," Keitaro whispered, feeling bad that so many people sacrificed all that extra time, but Kishimoto waved him off with a laugh, "You forget your station, and how much everyone at the company adores you, Mononobe-dono. In any case, I can give you the files before I leave the office. Can you come to the facility tonight?"

Checking his watch, Keitaro saw that it was almost nine, "I can make the next train and be there in half an hour. I'll meet you-"

"SUU! PUT THAT DOWN!"

"But it looks cool!"

"I DON'T CARE! IT'S DANGEROUS! PUT IT DOWN NOW!"

Keitaro fought the urge to face palm as he heard the commotion back in his room, "…I'll meet you in your office. Excuse me."

"Of course, Mononobe-dono."

Quickly hanging up the phone, the landlord returned to his room, where he found Naru and Suu engaged in an awkward tug-of-war with one of his bokken.

"Suu! Put that down," he said in a no nonsense voice, the commanding tone immediately causing Suu to let go and allow Naru to place the blade back in the closet. Keitaro nodded before going to grab a grey jacket and scarf to wear over his training clothes, "Thanks. Now, I gotta run an errand real quick. I'll be back later tonight."

"Awww! Suu wanted to play with Keitaro more," the blonde foreigner whined, crocodile tears streaming down her cheeks. Naru rubbed her hand on the younger girl's back to soothe her, "I know you did Suu. Come on, let's get you to bed. You have school tomorrow."

Keitaro knelt down and rubbed his hand through the blond girl's hair, "We'll…play some more tomorrow, I promise," he said before getting back to his feet and grabbing his blue scarf. As he made to exit the room, Naru placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Be careful out there, ok? I know you're some kick-ass swordsman and all, but it's still late out."

"You really don't need to worry so much…you'll get wrinkles early," Keitaro teased, getting a playful punch to the arm, "But thanks. I'll be fine."

Getting a nod from the lovely brunette, Keitaro patted Suu's head one more time before exiting the room. As he left the dorm, a dark smile slowly began to creep onto his face.

'_Heh…I'll be more than fine after this…can't say the same for you and your hick family, Kurotora-teme…'_

* * *

The train ride was quiet, as barely anyone really ever used them at that hour save for the salarymen that were heading home from after-work bonding with their co-workers, or vagrants out looking for trouble. Those scant few that were on the train had steered clear of the young man, who had the foresight to bring along his bokken, which was slung on his back. Funny how a single piece of wood and an icy stare from his dark brown eyes could deter the masses so well.

Peering out of the window, Keitaro stared listlessly as the lights in the tunnel passed by in afterimages, his mind lost in his musings.

'_Hard to believe it's been two months…Thanks to Suu, I haven't been able to read Kimiko's file all that much,'_ he reached into his gi and pulled out the manila folder he'd received from the assassin. Since the train car he was in was currently deserted, the avenger had no worries about anyone eavesdropping. Taking a look at the file, he first pulled out a list of names that his 'inside man' had compiled.

"Let's see here…Minato Tachibana. 52 years of age, president of the newly established munitions company, Akasuisei as of three years ago," he read softly to himself, his eyes burning the picture of the man into his head, "Yurina Tachibana, 49 years of age, Minato's wife of 30 years…guess she married young…"

Looking further down the list of names, he spotted something that caused his eyes to widen minutely, "Ranmaru, Rikimaru, and Ichmaru Tachibana, triplets, 15 years of age and newly inducted assassins within the Tachibana clan. Aiming to attend… Kaisei Academy?" the evil smirk on Keitaro's face grew while within him, his rage began to bubble, "Well ain't that convenient?"

The next name on the dossier made him pause, "Hmm…Ruumari Tachibana, age 26…not much on him here. I wonder if Kimiko ran into trouble…" reading the name over again, the avenger felt a strange sense of familiarity.

'_Why…do I feel like I know this guy from somewhere? And why does his name get me nervous?'_

So caught up in his thoughts, Keitaro didn't realize he'd already arrived at his stop until it was announced on the speakers, "We have reached the last station on this train, Nagareboshi Tokyo. Please exit the train in an orderly fashion. Have a nice evening!"

Looking up, Keitaro noticed the station he'd arrived at, "Huh…I forgot we have our own station. Guess it has been a while since I dropped by."

Getting up from his seat, the landlord slipped the dossier back into his gi and, after adjusting his bokken, walked out of the train into the pristine-looking station. Spotting an elevator, he pressed the call button next to the 'up' key, "This is Keitaro Urashima, here to meet with Genji Kishimoto."

He had to wait for a few moments before a voice replied, "Kishimoto-san is waiting for you on the top floor in his office," the elevator doors suddenly opened, revealing a posh-looking elevator car, "It's good to see you again, Mononobe-sama."

"Good to be back, even if it is for a short after-hours visit," Keitaro chuckled before boarding, the glass doors closing slowly behind him. As the elevator breached the main floor, the young landlord was nearly blinded by the millions of lights that decorated the Tokyo skyline. Though he couldn't see it since the elevator faced away from the building, Keitaro could envision the looming steel grey tower that was Nagareboshi's Tokyo headquarters. Its sturdy frame housed almost 100 floors of laboratories, testing facilities, and multiple divisions dealing with weapons, medical research, marketing, international relations, and more. Thinking about it all made the young heir's head spin sometimes.

'_Hard to believe we started out as just a small group of blacksmiths and swordmakers for the emperor centuries ago….now we're a munitions distributing monster,' _Keitaro thought as he shook his head with a smile on his face, _'It really does help to be good at what you do…and to know the right people.'_

His introspection was interrupted by the doors chiming, indicating he'd reached the top floor. Exiting the elevator, Keitaro took a quick look around. The lobby of the top floor consisted of a single desk that was connected to the wall and a pair of oak doors, the emblem of the Mononobe clan painted in the center of them. Keitaro walked up and gently ran a hand along the image: two intersecting diamonds painted in black over a dark blue rectangle.

"I remember Dad called these _Chigai Bishi_," the young landlord recalled, as he eyed the symbol with reverence. Shaking his head with a smile, he pushed open the doors and entered the office.

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kishimoto-jiji," the Mononobe heir bowed as he walked into the dim room. Seated behind a mahogany desk on the other side of the expansive room was a man of about 70, with long gray hair tied into a ponytail, a well-trimmed grey beard, and warm, but sharp light brown eyes. Few wrinkles lined the man's face, making him appear younger than his years. He wore a crisp, dark grey business suit that only added to his regal image. Looking up from the folder on his desk, Genji Kishimoto grinned at the sight of the young man.

"Mononobe-dono," he greeted in a gravelly voice as he rose from his plush chair, quickly making his way over to the young company heir. After a warm hug, he gently placed his hands on the younger man's shoulders, "I'm glad to see you looking well. How has the transition into your new home been?"

"More insane than anything I ever expected, but I'm still alive," Keitaro replied with a wry grin, "You won't believe who's living there, by the way. Remember Tsuruko's little sister?"

"I believe I can recall her…Motoko's her name isn't it?" Kishimoto asked, his eyes widening a fraction after seeing the boy nod, "Huh…if I didn't know any better, I'd say Hina-sama was trying to tell you something."

"Knowing her, that's exactly what she's doing," the landlord replied before a frown came over his face, "But we can talk more about that later. You said you had the analysis for me?"

Releasing his hold on the young man, Kishimoto walked back across the room towards the desk, where he picked up the thick folder he'd been examining before. Taking a second to check its contents, he headed back and handed the file to Keitaro, "This is everything they were able to find regarding the _Yoru no Shukufuku_ sample you liberated from Amagai Tachibana's corpse. According to their observations, the ki signature of the sample matches the signature of the remnants of dark ki that littered the area around your compound on the night of the attack."

Keitaro's eyes narrowed and his hands gripped the file tighter as memories from that horrific night began to play out in his mind. He could still remember the dark ki aura that surrounded Kurotora before he was knocked unconscious after witnessing his mother's murder, "Then we got em…this analysis…the files from Mikamura's lab…we got that whole clan right where we want em…"

"Indeed we do, Mononobe-dono," Kishimoto's replied darkly, "However, might I advise not bringing this to the authorities just yet?" at Keitaro's questioning glance, the acting president of Nagareboshi continued, "Handing over these files now would result in some rather difficult questions being asked, and I doubt telling them about your role in the deaths of the Sixth Tachibana Pillar would do your mission any good."

"Heh…who said anything about telling the cops about this?" Keitaro answered, surprising Kishimoto, "The Tachibana run most of the police force in Hinata and the greater Tokyo area, and this is on top of them being Imperial Guardians with almost total authority over law enforcement regardless of jurisdiction. No…taking this info to 'em would be suicide…plain and simple."

Seeing the boy's point, the older man nodded with a grim expression on his face, "You make a good point," Genji then noticed the haunted look on Keitaro's face, "However, I get the feeling there's more to this move than that…?"

"…He murdered them, Kishimoto-jiji…he murdered them all in cold blood over some stupid tournament and an ancient feud that should've been stomped out by the emperor's decree centuries ago. No…I'm gonna make him suffer…I'm gonna make him watch as everything he's ever known and everyone he's ever loved is taken from him piece by piece until there's nothing left…and then I'm gonna slit his throat and watch him bleed out…"

'_So this is what you've become…what you've allowed vengeance to turn you into…Mononobe-dono…,'_ Kishimoto thought mournfully as he looked at the broken young man in front of him, "I see…well then, if you plan to kill the Tachibana anyway, why go through the trouble of obtaining the _Yoru no Shukufuku_?"

Keitaro smiled wickedly at the question, "Because… I'm gonna expose them for the corrupt, conniving asswipes they are first. I'll invalidate any plausible deniability they think they have. This ki enhancement drug was just the first step," he clutched the folder tightly to his chest and frowned, "I still have to figure out how they managed to fool everyone about the _Juuchi Yosamu_. But for that, I'll need to do some more research."

"Understood. In that case, feel free to make full use of our resources, Mononobe-dono," the older man bowed with a smile, "Although I hardly think I need to make such an offer…everything in this company IS yours, afterall."

"I appreciate the help regardless, Kishimoto-jiji," Keitaro thanked as the two prepared to leave the room, "And sorry again for making you stay so late for me," taking a look at the clock, the landlord cursed as he noticed it was almost 11pm, "Dammit! The last train home was 30 minutes ago!"

Kishimoto's laughter rang throughout the office, "You forget that I have a car and I can still drive despite my age, Mononobe-dono. I'll give you a lift."

"No way! I made you stay way past closing time and," Keitaro argued, waving his hands animatedly in his polite, but sincere refusal. Kishimoto would have none of it, "I insist."

Realizing he'd never convince the old man otherwise, Keitaro relented, "….fine. I owe you, Kishimoto-jiji."

"You made me president of a multi-billion dollar company in your stead, and YOU owe ME? You really are your father's son, Mononobe-dono," the old man chuckled, guiding his future boss out of the office, "Now then, tell me a bit more about your new occupation as a landlord…"

* * *

"Hey Kitsune, did Keitaro-san come back yet?" Naru asked as she walked down the stairs into the living room. Peering up at her friend from her position on the sofa, the foxy woman shook her head, "Nope. Taro-chan's really burnin the midnight candle with this 'errand' of his. I wonder…" a mischievous grin appeared on the fox woman's face, "Maybe he's visitin a late-night lovah?"

Naru scoffed, "If you really think that, then I think you might wanna cut back on the sake…" sitting down next to her friend, the brunette paused for a moment, "Actually…now that I think about it, have you ever heard of him dating around? I know most of the boys at school had girlfriends at one point or another, but I can't remember Keitaro-san ever being with anyone."

"You're only catchin on now, hun?" Kitsune lifted an eyebrow at her best friend, "Ever since we met him, Taro-chan's been the definition of a lone wolf. Why do ya think I mess with him so much?"

"Sheesh…maybe you're the reason he's so uptight around girls," the bespectacled girl sighed as she lay back against the fluffy sofa cushions, "It's strange…but then again, he doesn't really open up to anyone. I mean, just look at our situation now. He lives here, he manages the dorm, but other than meals and study sessions, we barely see him…"

Kitsune looked over at her frustrated best friend and patted her shoulder to comfort her, "Well it's only been about what, a month? He's still adjustin'. So don't worry, we'll crack that shell o' his sooner or later! Speakin o' which," the older woman sat up and leaned into Naru's personal space, "_that _day's comin up soon…gonna try your master plan again?"

Naru blushed and shook her head, "I-I donno what you're talking about, Kitsune. What plan?"

The cheshire grin on the older woman's face only grew wider, "Awww, you know what I mean…wakin up early in the morning b'fore the rest of us so you can use the kitchen to make a _certain sumthin_ for a _certain best-friend-turned-landlord_…"

"How do you even know about that?!"

"I'm a freelance journalist, sugah," Kitsune winked, "I have mah ways…"

Before Naru could dispute her friend's claim any further, the two girls heard the front doors slide open, revealing a slightly tired-looking Keitaro. Slipping off his geta sandals, the young landlord walked into the foyer, where he spotted his two high school classmates still awake.

"Oh, hey Naru-san, Oni-Kitsune," he waved lazily, "What are you two still doing up?"

"Taro-chan!" Kitsune screeched as she jumped from the sofa and bounded over to the landlord, engulfing in him a hug, "How'd you expect me to go to sleep when my adorable landlord was still out an about at this hour?! I was so worried!"

Keitaro tried to get a word out, but thanks to Kitsune hugging him, his head was planted firmly against her _very generous_ chest. Too tired to fight her off, the landlord simply peered up at Naru, who was fighting between laughing at the spectacle and telling Kitsune off for being indecent yet again, "Get…her…off…me…"

"Ok Kitsune, I think you suffocated him enough for one day," the brunette chided as she separated the two. Looking up at her male friend, she asked, "How'd the errand go?"

"Eh…it went ok," Keitaro answered uninterestedly, "It was just clan stuff that one of Hina-obaasama's friends wanted me to do. The Urashima clan does a ton of stuff around the city, and as the heir, I gotta look after it from time to time."

"Aww, poor Taro-chan and all those borin clan head errands," Kitsune chimed in before taking the landlord by the arm, "Ya know what ya need right now? A nice, long soak in the hot spring! Come on, I'll wash your back!"

"That was the most poorly disguised trap I've ever seen, Oni-Kitsune!"

"What trap? I just wanna give some well-deserved lovin to mah favorite landlord!"

"I'm your ONLY landlord! Now get offa me, demon woman!"

As she watched Kitsune and Keitaro bicker while heading for the hot spring, Naru sighed with a wry smile on her face.

'_Yea, we'll crack him alright…I'm just not sure if it'll be in a good way…'_

* * *

"So has life as the head Imperial Guardsman done something to your head, Heihachi? Because I don't remember you ever taking early morning walks in the gardens like this when we were kids," Minato yawned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Heihachi chuckled, remembering that his older brother wasn't really much of a morning person, "Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

It was around six in the morning on 13 February, about three days since Minato and the majority of his family had arrived in Hinata. In that time, everyone had seemed to mesh just fine into the palace, and the Tachibana clan head honestly couldn't be happier. Minato always knew how to liven things up with his boisterous behavior, and his sons had so acted maturely and professionally…when they were around their father at least. There were whisperings among the sub-branch members of the Tachibana that were employed at the palace regarding incidents of mistreatment towards anyone that wasn't main branch blood, but Heihachi merely took it to be the musings of dissatisfied commoners who still didn't realize their place in the world.

As the two ventured further towards the other side of the Imperial Palace grounds, Heihachi frowned in thought as he contemplated his discussion with Minato when he'd first arrived.

'_While it is possible, I just can't accept the fact that there could be a traitor among us,' _he thought as the pair of siblings approached their destination, _'The branch members know nothing about that night…then again, there could have been an eavesdropper. But still…this doesn't add up…'_

"Are we almost there brother? I think I've seen enough green to last me ten lifetimes already," Minato whined. Shaking himself from his musings, Heihachi came to a stop, "Actually, aniki, we're here."

"We are? All I see is…is…" Minato couldn't even finish his sentence once he realized where they were. Standing before the two was a modest-sized mansion, right in the center of the Fukiage Gardens. The structure was designed much like a feudal era manse, with crimson sloping roofs, maple floors, and a set of tori gates leading up the path to the entrance.

"Whuh….whuh…what is all this?" Minato asked, completely awed by the immaculate work of architecture and engineering. Heihachi grinned smugly, "This, aniki, is a little brother's gift to his big brother who so insisted on moving to the capital to look after his family. I was given special permission to build it by the Emperor himself months ago as a spare living space for other pillars, and it was only recently completed. This is your new home."

The gobsmacked man almost began to tear, so taken by the surprise as he was, "This is…you gotta be kiddin me…something like this should go to the Second Pillar, are you really sure about this?!"

"You know as well as I do that Ensui would never accept such a thing," Heihachi replied solemnly, "Especially since he's been on his mission abroad the past few years."

"Aye…hunting down 'remnants' still…terrible work, chasing down those Mononobe dogs," Minato spat as he recalled the reason for Ensui's extended leave from Tokyo, "Has he reported back at all?"

Heihachi nodded, "we get monthly reports here and there on his progress. There weren't that many that managed to get away that night. And last I checked, the majority of them had been dealt with by our _Kurotanken_ (Shadow Dagger)."

The older man grinned darkly, "Heh…first a new mansion from my little brother, and now hearing that there's even less Mononobe in the world…you know how to make a guy's day, Heihachi."

"I do my best."

"So! Gimme the grand old tour!" Minato requested as he slung one of his sizeable arms around Heihachi's shoulder, "I can't wait to see the inside of this place! Yurina and the boys are gonna love this!"

Shaking his head with a laugh, Heihachi allowed himself to be led into the house, passing the throng of sub-branch servants who were busy cleaning and making final preparations before the Fifth Pillar and his family moved in. The first floor was mainly for entertainment, with a sizeable, fully furnished living room, a conference room for meetings with distinguished guests, a separate and more elaborately furnished conference room for entertaining the Imperial Family, a large kitchen, and several small bedrooms with connecting baths for their sub-branch family servants. At the rear of the home was a luxurious hot springs complete with changing areas and showers. Minato was sure the triplets would find several ways to use it…none of which were all that hygienic.

The second floor was a bit of a surprise: most of it was occupied by a dojo, which was fully outfitted with training equipment, spare weaponry, training uniforms, and what appeared to be accessories for an obstacle course. Upon seeing the seemingly out of place items, Minato turned to his younger brother, "Heihachi…why is there obstacle course gear in a dojo?"

"It's for the boys to work on how to operate better in confined spaces. I heard they were a bit weak in that area when working in tandem with each other," Heihachi smirked when he saw Minato cough into his hand and look away sheepishly, "This dojo can go from a harmless training ground to a simulation of the perfect death trap …just food for thought."

"…right…gotcha."

The last floor contained all the bedrooms for the nuclear family, with a grand master bedroom for Minato and his wife, Yurina, a slightly smaller master bedroom for Ruumari and Shiori, three modest-sized individual bedrooms for the triplets, and a smaller bedroom for Genma and Yuna, which was conveniently located between the two master bedrooms.

"Have I ever told you you're my favorite little brother?" Minato grinned as he and Heihachi returned to the main floor at the end of the tour. Heihachi merely smiled back, "Well, out of all the Pillar families, you've been the most instrumental in giving us a foothold in the munitions market. Also," the clan head's smile dimmed, but seemed to become more sincere, "despite all the danger, and my constant, vehement warnings to stay away, you still came to look after my boys. Of all our siblings, you were always the one I could count on for anything. You deserve this, brother."

Minato furiously began to rub his eyes, "Dammit, ya little bastard…goin all soft on me…c'mere!" The two embraced in a brotherly hug, separating a short while later, "So what else is in this place? Considering we're…well…ninjas more or less, I can't say I've seen anything really…ninja-y aside from the dojo."

A stony expression came over Heihachi's face, "there's one more place…but I need to clear the house first."

Heedless to Minato's confused glance, Heihachi bellowed, "SUB-BRANCH! FRONT AND CENTER!"

Within seconds, every sub-branch Tachibana in the household appeared at attention before the clan head. Smirking at the display, Minato chuckled quietly, "Now THAT'S discipline."

Eyeing each member with a critical gaze, Heihachi barked out, "CLEAR THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY! ANY OF YOU CAUGHT WITHIN 50 YARDS OF THIS MANSION WILL SUFFER DEARLY, AM I CLEAR?!"

Thirty heads nodded furiously before hastily vacating the premises. None of them wished to suffer Heihachi's wrath, which seemed to fall upon the sub-branch members almost as much as Kurotora's. Seeing the place cleared out, the clan head turned back to his brother, "Alright, follow me."

* * *

Heihachi led Minato towards what the older brother had assumed was another wall in the hallway that led to the conference rooms. He was quickly proven wrong when the clan head pressed down on a seemingly random panel, revealing it to be a fingerprint scanner.

"This scanner is keyed to your family and mine only. Anyone else that tries to use it will be injected with one of our patented neurotoxins…instant death," Heihachi intoned darkly. Minato gulped before noticing the doorway that appeared in the wall. The Tachibana clan head entered the entryway and went down the stairs, Minato on his heels. The stairway wasn't all that long, and at the base, the two were met with a long, dark corridor that led to a single door. In the low light, the eldest of the two brothers could barely make out several holes in random positions lining the entire span of the hallway.

"Are those…murder holes?" he asked quietly. Heihachi nodded, "This entire hallway is riddled with nasty surprises for any hostile intruders. The darts fired from those holes are coated with a paralyzing agent that will instantly lock up a person's respiratory system, slowly suffocating them to death. There are also barrels of boiling oil in the ceiling, and flamethrowers at the end of the hall just before the door. All of these mechanisms can be controlled from within the panic room at the end of the hall."

The two soon arrived at the impervious looking door. It had no window or latches, just a 1-foot thick slab of titanium metal. Angling to his older brother, Heihachi gestured towards imposing entrance, "Place your hand at the center of the door. This scanner is the same as the one upstairs regarding who it allows entry to."

Minato walked up and did as was asked, the door sliding open once it recognized him. The room inside was huge, with a fully stocked kitchen, several cases of bottled water, a sophisticated looking electronics console with several screens linked to security cameras all over the compound, as well as the main controls for the traps in the hallway. To the rear of the room were several futons, a few changes of clothes, and even a couple of toys for the kids.

"As you can see, this is the best panic room money can buy," Heihachi began as Minato walked around the room, examining every nook and cranny, "With the current threat to our family, I spared absolutely no expense. I'm having one installed in my home within the next month. This is just in case our assassin friend gets cocky enough to try anything on Imperial grounds."

"It certainly is impressive, brother," Minato complimented, taking a moment to examine the monitor suite and familiarize himself with the basics, "You made this place a fortress within a fortress."

Heihachi nodded, "nothing but the best, for the best. This room even has its own isolated air supply, fed from an external location and fit to last up to a month if need be…two if it's adjusted to the lowest setting."

"I highly doubt we'd be under siege for a month by a single assassin, Heihachi," Minato said with a wry smile, "But thanks for taking every possible precaution. My family and I are in your debt."

"Nonsense," Heihachi waved him off as the two left the room and returned to the main foyer, "I'm merely following my own son's example of doing everything in my power to secure our family. If he can go to the lengths he did to get us to where we are, then who would I be to not do the same to keep us safe?"

Minato laughed uproariously, "Hah! Ain't that the truth! Well, this was quite the tour, Heihachi. I think me and the family are really gonna like it here-"

**BZZZ BZZZZZZ**

"**GYAAAA!"**

Minato recoiled as if he'd been struck, his hands furiously waving about his head as a large dragonfly circled him before darting off into the dense trees around the compound.

"…but first we gotta do something about those FUCKING INSECTS!"

Heihachi fought the urge to laugh at his gruff older brother's slight insect phobia, "Well, dragonflies actually kill other insects in the area…you should be thanking them."

"Don't get cheeky with me, ya little bastard!" Minato half-glared, earning a slight chuckle from his younger brother, "Ugh…let's just grab the others and get em over here. We were in there for a while and I know the boys have school to go to."

Getting one last laugh in, Heihachi led his brother back towards the compound. Neither seemed to notice the pesky dragonfly that hovered above them for a moment before flying into the trees…

* * *

The metallic green dragonfly flew on through the winding branches of the surrounding gardens, before finally coming to rest on a slender, outstretched finger.

"Hello little guy…what did you bring mommy today?" the alluring voice of Kimiko Tachibana asked as she brought the dragonfly to her face. Looking into its beady eyes, the sultry assassin smirked before setting the dragonfly scout down and pulling out a tablet and USB cable from her gi. Connecting on end of the cable to the tablet, she picked up the scout and inserted the much smaller end into its side. The tablet suddenly came to life with images and recordings of Heihachi and Minato's entire tour.

"So this is the pet project you've been working on, Heihachi-kun," Kimiko smirked as she glanced through the photos and videos recorded by the dragonfly drone, "A fortress inside a fortress…now that's funny!"

Shutting down the tablet and sending the scout back to its original spot, the sultry assassin stretched out on the tree branch to continue lounging in the morning sun, a dangerous smirk slowly stretching across her beautiful face.

"I wonder what my dear little Kyo will think of this new development…"

* * *

It was early evening when a slightly weary, but refreshed Motoko patiently made her way up the exhaustive steps of the Hinata-sou. During her ascent, the young kendoka wondered if anything major had occurred at the dorm during her absence. While the girls (except Suu) could handle themselves just fine without her, the dynamic of her home had changed a bit with the addition of Keitaro, making things a bit more…unpredictable.

"Urashima-san," she whispered, eyes narrowed into slits as the image of his face came to the forefront of her mind. During her training sabbatical, Motoko had spent most of her time meditating on the enigma that was Keitaro Urashima. More specifically, she had mused over why there were times where he did or said something that reminded her of her dearly departed sempai, Kyoshiro.

'_While there are faint similarities, both of them are as different as night and day. And his ki..'_

The young man's ki was a commodity in and of itself. While ruminating one night, the young Aoyama mustered up the courage to review her initial introduction to Keitaro from a more objective point of view, and _reluctantly_ acknowledged that she may have judged the odd young man a bit harshly regarding his ki signature. While there were a lot of conflicting emotions mixed in his aura, most of which were negative, they had been buried beneath a layer of warmth. And according to her sister's teachings, a person who was truly malicious would never be able to disguise their ki in such a way, even with decades of training. This much proved to her that Keitaro, for all intents and purposes, wasn't a villainous person…at least not completely.

"Regardless of my findings, I'm still curious about what the source of that foulness in his ki is…what is he hiding?" Motoko wondered, that particular question having popped up in her mind several times after their duel, "not to mention, his sword style is…oddly familiar. And some of his mannerisms…"

So lost in her internal monologue, the tall young girl barely realized she had already reached the top of the steps and entered the dorm, her body already removing her sandals on autopilot. Once her mind finally caught up to the rest of her, Motoko headed to the main living while calling out, "I'm back everyone."

"MOTOKOOOOO!"

Instantly the Aoyama heir was tackled by a brown/blonde blur, only staying on her feet by virtue of her training. Looking down, she patted the middle schooler on the head in greeting, "Hello to you as well, Suu. Have you been good?"

Suu looked up with her large green eyes and grinned, "Yep! Suu's been really good! Naru, Shinobu, and Kitsune played with me a lot! Keitaro too!"

"Urashima-san? He didn't do anything untowards to you, did he?" asked the stern girl, her dark grey eyes narrowing again in suspicion. Suu shook her head, "Nu-uh! Keitaro was really cool! He even played with my robots again!"

"I don't know if 'play' is the word I'd use, Suu-chan," a male voice intervened. Motoko looked up to see a weary-looking Keitaro descending the stairs, his bokken slung on his left hip. Moving Suu off to the side, the tall Aoyama turned to face the landlord, who stopped about three feet away. The air between them became tense as neither made a single move, their eyes sizing up the person across from them. The standoff ended with Keitaro cocking his head to the side with a small smile.

"Good to see you back safe. How was the sabattical?"

"It was…productive," Motoko answered a bit awkwardly, "Th…th…thank you…for asking."

Keitaro almost laughed at the effort the young girl seemed to put into trying to be more polite, but thought better of it, "No problem. By the way…I think I can understand why your posture is so sturdy after spending so much time with Suu."

Motoko raised an eyebrow in question, before recalling one of Suu's more eccentric habits. Eyes hardening, she placed a hand on her bokken, "So you mean to tell me you slept with her as well? In the same room? In the same futon?!"

"Waiiiiiiiit!" Keitaro yelled, waving his arms defensively as he noticed a light blue aura begin to sprout from the kendoka, "She came into my room while I was asleep! And Naru stayed with us the whole time to keep an eye on us! Ask her! I didn't do anything!"

The Aoyama heir kept her grip on her bokken for another moment, but just when Keitaro thought he was about to have that second match right then and there, the dark-haired girl stood back up and placed her hand back at her side, "Very well. I can sense no deception in your ki, so I suppose I'll let you slide this time."

"Uhhh…thanks," the landlord answered wryly before turning to leave, "anyway, I'm gonna head to the store to get some supplies. The pipes in the basement need some repairs, and some of the floorboards upstairs are starting to show signs of decay."

He was just about to walk out of the door when Motoko called out to him.

"Urashima-san!"

Turning back, he gave the girl a curious glance, "What's up?"

It took a monumental effort, as well as swallowing quite a bit of pride, but the young kendoka managed to get the words out, "During our first encounter…I admit that I may have been a bit…hasty with my judgement of you. After meditating on it during my training, I came to the realization that I focused solely on one negative aspect of your ki and judged you based on that. For that….I….apologize."

When she saw Keitaro's face begin to light up a bit, she quickly added, "However! This does not mean that I trust you or accept your presence here in the slightest! If I ever hear so much as a whisper about any indecent behavior on your part, I will put you down like a rabid dog!"

The landlord's face fell a bit, but he still managed to smile regardless, "Well…thank you for the apology. I appreciate it," his smile grew to a mischievous smirk, "but I can't imagine how many times you had to bite your tongue to get those words out. You sure you're not bleeding too much in that mouth of yours?"

"BAAAASSSSTAAAAARRRRRRRDDDD!" Motoko bellowed, drawing her bokken and barreling towards the young man to take his head off. Keitaro ran out door, laughing the entire way down the stairs. The enraged kendoka stopped at the top of the stairs and simply watched her landlord run off, steam pouring out of her ears and her face lobster red with anger…and a touch of embarrassment. She DID bite her tongue a couple times to stop herself from saying something uncouth.

"What's going on out her-oh! Hey Motoko!" the sound of Naru's voice cut through the fog of righteous vengeance in Motoko's mind. Seeing the lovely brunette look at her questioningly, she nodded in greeting, "Hello, Naru-sempai."

"Did something happen? Your face is kinda red," Naru pointed out, causing Motoko to blush before her anger returned, "Nothing happened. Just that irritating, immature, infuriating MAN had the gall to poke fun at my apology! He's dead the minute he gets back! I KNEW I shouldn't have bothered!"

Naru took a nervous step back as the steam started pouring from her younger friend's ears again, "Easy! Down girl! I really don't feel like explaining to Granny why her grandkid vanished into thin air all of a sudden!"

"Hmph!" Motoko glared one last time at the bottom of the stairs before walking back into the dorm, Naru following behind her. Taking a quick look around and noticing no one was in the area, the bespectacled brunette quickly made for the kitchen.

'_Hmm…looks like the coast is clear. Time to start my operation!'_

Looking inside the cupboards and the fridge, Naru removed several baking utensils, eggs, flour, milk, frosting, and cake mix. Moving quickly, the young Tokyo-U aspirant set to work, occasionally peering outside to make sure no one else would suddenly enter the kitchen.

'_Gotta finish this before he gets back. I'm gonna get that guy for sure this year!'_

* * *

Early the next morning, a shrouded figure darted into the darkened hallways of the dorm, silently making its way down the stairs and to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, the mysterious person shifted the various items around until it found what it was looking for: a small pink box with a red heart-shaped bow on top. Giggling to itself, the person leaned forward into the fridge, the light revealing it to be a cloaked Naru. Grabbing the box, the brunette beauty quickly closed the fridge and quietly made her way upstairs.

'_Just a little further,'_ she thought as she edged closer to a particular landlord's room. Taking another quick glance around, the young woman reached for the door and slowly slid it open, making a space just barely wide enough to fit through. Once inside, she tip-toed with as much stealth as she could manage over to the futon, which had the cover pulled up all the way to the top.

'_I almost feel bad for waking him up like this,' _Naru mused as she knelt next to the futon, feeling a bit vulnerable being in a boy's room so early in the morning, especially while said boy was still asleep no less, _'But this is the only way I'll get him before he disappears.'_

Taking a deep breath, the girl reached for his covers, "Sorry Keitaro-san, but you didn't leave me a choice."

Pulling them back rapidly, she quickly picked up her box thrust it out towards him, "SURPRISE!"

Having shut her eyes, the young girl waited for a few seconds, which soon turned to a couple minutes. After getting no reaction, she nervously opened one eye, only for the other to snap open in surprise.

"Wha…but….how…." she sputtered before growling to herself and screaming, "DAAAAAAMNNN YOUUUUU KEIIITAROOOOO!"

The sound of running quickly echoed in the hall, before Keitaro's door was suddenly thrust open and the lights turned on. Motoko immediately walked up to Naru, with Kitsune, Suu, and Shinobu following after her.

"Are you alright, Naru-sempai?! What happened?!" Motoko asked rapid fire, while the others looked over to taller girl's shoulder to see Naru knelt in front of an empty futon that should have been occupied by their landlord.

"Damn it!" Naru whimpered, tears of frustration threatening to fall from her eyes, "He managed to get away again!"

The kendoka and the younger girls looked at the brunette in confusion, before Kitsune's laughter got their attention. Seeing their eyes on her, the foxy woman started giggling again.

"It's nothing serious, y'all," she waved off before looking at her frustrated friend and fighting the urge to start laughing again, "It's just today's Valentine's Day."

"W-what does that have to do with Sempai disappearing?" Shinobu questioned, feeling a little worried for the missing landlord.

"It has everything to do with him vanishing, little Shinobu," Kitsune quipped before suddenly donning a Sherlock Holmes cap, "Ever since we've known him, Keitaro always vanishes the morning of Valentine's day and doesn't show up again until the next day. But this year's gonna be different!" she exclaimed before striking an awkward pose, "Now let Operation: Landlord Retrieval begin!"

While the rest of the girls looked dumbfounded at the maniacally giggling Kitsune, Naru looked down at her home-made chocolate with a depressed frown.

'_Dammit…after I worked so hard on this too. Why do you always run on Valentine's, Keitaro?'_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Holy crap...four months...four goddamn months. I can't even put it into enough words how sorry I am for taking so long to get this one out. My only excuses are that this chapter was really tough to write since it's the first 'post-action' chapter I've ever done, and I didn't want it to come off as too bland-ish. That being said, I just need to nut up and shut up next time. As well as not be afraid to ask for help. HUMONGOUS shout out to Cloud Link Zero, who helped immensely by beta-reading this chapter...as well as offering some killer ideas that I'll pursue later down the line in the story. Y'all ain't ready for what's coming yet...but soon...you will be.

As for my second excuse for the delay...Destiny. For any of you who own Xbox One and know and LIKE that game...then no explanations needed. For those that don't...it's addictive. Nuff sed.

In any case, here is the start of the "Fifth Pillar" arc. There's a few more members of Minato's family to introduce, but the triplets and Minato will definitely get the ball rolling for now. There's also more interaction with the girls and Keitaro, and the added mystery of his valentine's disappearance. This will all be explained next chapter...and what happens might begin laying the foundations for some development down the road. What will that be? Now now...that'd be telling.

So as usual, read, review, critique constructively, leave feedback, guesses, the whole nine yards. As for me...House of Wolves DLC for Destiny dropped yesterday. I have Fallen bastards to hunt and a giant Fallen Kell to kill.

Ciph signin off


	7. Valentine's Past, Valentine's Present

**Chapter VI – Valentine's Past, Valentine's Present**

* * *

The sun had barely risen over the horizon, the dark purple sky starting to morph into golden yellow, red, and light blue, when Haruka Urashima began the process of opening her tea shop on the hill that led up to Hinata-sou. It was a routine she had grown used to ever since Hina passed ownership of the place to her: wake up, go through her regular morning rituals, read the paper, wipe down the tables and put on a fresh pot of tea for the early regulars. To some it would seem monotonous, but Haruka was a simple woman with simple pleasures, content to coast along freely without stress for as long as she could.

Which would be as long as Hina was clan head. Once she passed on the role, all bets were off.

That line of thought sent a slight shiver down Haruka's spine as she reflected on that little inevitability. It was kind of a given that Keitaro would inherit the illustrious role, something that should have made the older woman bristle, being the true blood relative and heiress. Surprisingly, the tea shop owner was fine with that, but she knew Keitaro would most likely appoint her his chief advisor and leave most of the administrative duties to her.

'_He'd probably just spend all his time training…and brooding,'_ Haruka thought with a chuckle as she finished putting a large pot of water to boil. She did love her adopted nephew/cousin dearly, but the Urashima heiress was in full agreement with Hina that he could stand to be a bit more cheerful. Although with what he'd gone through, his angst was understandable…to a point.

'_I wonder,'_ Haruka mused as she took a step outside of the shop to take down the boards that covered the windows, _'Kyo hasn't really come down to visit in a little while. Hope the girls aren't causing him too much trouble…'_

She took a glance up the stairs at the looming form of the dormitories, before shaking her head and walking back inside, "Eh…he's a tough kid. He'll be fine."

As she approached the kitchen, she was surprised to find the subject of her thoughts currently seated at a table, a bokken leaning against the side of the table and a steaming cup of tea held in his hands.

"Huh…didn't expect to see you here," Haruka said as she walked up to the occupied table. Keitaro glanced up with a small smile, "Hey Haru…hope you don't mind, I used some of the boiling water. I put some more in though, so it should be okay."

"Please…its water, Kyo," Haruka dismissed with a shake of her head and a wave, "Funny story…I was actually thinking about how you were holding up over in the dorms. It's been a while since you came to the shop for tea and a chat."

The landlord scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yea…my bad about that. Things have been a bit hectic with studying for the exams and keeping up with…well…landlord stuff," he didn't dare tell her about his ongoing research into the Fifth Tachibana Pillar and his family. That wouldn't go over so well.

"Awww, don't tell me those girls are actually giving you a problem. After that duel with Motoko, I figured none of em would try to pull anything with you," Haruka joked before taking a seat across from the young man, "have they been behaving?"

"More or less," Keitaro replied, glancing back in the direction of Hinata-sou, "Suu's inventions keep getting crazier, Oni-Kitsune cranked her teasing up to eleven, and Motoko's still watching me like a hawk…," Haruka didn't miss the slight amused smirk on the young man's face as he recalled how he had irritated the taciturn kendo girl, "but other than that, no problems. Naru's cool and Shinobu's been an angel, if a little quiet lately."

Haruka nodded in understanding, "Guess that's to be expected. She's still getting used to you being around. She does seem to be happier, so I have to thank you for that," she placed her chin in her palm and focused her brown eyes more on the landlord, "So what _does_ bring you down here, if it's not the girls?"

Keitaro's face shifted slightly, his lips turning up into a humorless smile, "I had the dream again…not surprising considering what today is."

The tea shop owner's heart went out to her younger pseudo-relative, recalling that it was indeed Valentine's day, "I see…guess you're gonna go off again for the day?"

"Pretty much," Keitaro replied, taking a moment to sip his tea, "I normally skip school today to train…I figure I can finally work out that problem I've been having with **Shinonome**…"

"Just don't overdo it," Haruka warned, before another question came to mind, "Did you tell the girls that you'd be going off on your own?"

Keitaro cringed, "Oops…forgot about that. Although something tells me that not telling them is probably for the best. I'll see them in the evening."

Haruka gave the young landlord a blank stare, "…are you ABSOLUTELY SURE that's the best thing to do?"

The Mononobe heir gave her a confused look, "Well, yea? I mean, it's just for a day. They'll be fine without me," he finished his tea and stood up, placing his bokken into his belt at his side, "Anyway, if you need me, I'll be in the forest behind Hinata-sou…right in front of the shrine."

Watching as he went through the doorway and up the stairs towards the tree line, Haruka once again shook her head in exasperation, a knowing smile appearing on her face.

'_He REALLY doesn't know those girls very well, does he?'_

* * *

"Keitaroooo!"

"Taro-chan~!"

"S-Sempaii! W-where are you?!"

"I don't see why you are all wasting your time like this," Motoko sighed as she watched Kitsune, Shinobu, and Suu search every nook and cranny within Hinata-sou for their missing landlord. They had gone all throughout his room, the empty bedrooms, the kitchen, the hot springs, and all of his other normal locales, but to no avail.

"Just cuz ol' Taro-chan gave us the slip for now, doesn't mean we're beat yet!" Kitsune countered as she took another look around the living room, checking for any potential hiding places, "and think of poor Naru-chan. You tellin me you're just fine leavin her like that?"

The Aoyama heiress cringed as she remembered the saddened look in Naru's eyes when they found her in the empty bedroom. Though she couldn't understand why, it seemed that the bespectacled brunette had put in quite a bit of work to surprise the young man. For him to have vanished into thin air was almost too cruel, even if he did so unintentionally.

Taking a glance at the clock, Motoko realized she and the others who had school only had another half hour before they would be late, "Well, this search of your will have to wait until the rest of us have finished class. We are going to be late at this rate."

"W-wha?! Oh no!" Shinobu jumped and sprinted back to her room to grab her books and other school necessities, Suu following behind. The ringleader of the "search" sighed and plopped down on the couch, her detective cap falling to the side of her head, "Oh fine…guess I'll wait til y'all get back then."

"Indeed," Motoko nodded before picking up her school bag from the floor next to the couch, "And who knows…maybe Naru-sempai will run into him at school?"

"…he won't be there today…"

The two occupants of the living room turned to see Naru trudging down the stairs, heavy storm clouds pouring rain down her head, "N-Naru-sempai? What do you mean?"

"In the two years I've known him, Keitaro-san has never come to school on Valentine's day or White day," the brunette replied, still sounding a bit upset, "the girls at school think he just hides somewhere though, and every year, they have a contest to see if anyone can find him. No one's done it yet though…I should've known better…"

Both other girls frowned, not used to seeing the normally upbeat girl so down. A determined look then came across the resident fox' face, "Nu-uh! It's too early to call it quits! Not after all the work you put in!"

Naru looked over at her friend confused, "K-Kitsune?"

"I'm comin with ya to school today, and we're gonna find Taro-chan if it's the last thing we do! Now hop to it, girl!" Kitsune exclaimed as she began pushing Naru out of the building and towards the trolley. Motoko could only stand and watch the entire spectacle before sighing and following after.

"I really hope they succeed quickly…if only to end this ridiculous farce…"

* * *

Unfortunately, success was not in the cards for the girls' efforts.

Despite spending all of their free time between classes combing the school building several times, Kitsune and Naru's search turned up fruitless. No one had seen hide nor hair of Keitaro anywhere. And as time went on, even the vivacious fox's seemingly boundless energy began to wane.

"Mou! How the hell is that boy so damn good at hiding?! I mean he wears a damn BOKKEN everywhere for Buddha's sake!" Kitsune screeched furiously as she dropped herself down on the couch that afternoon. Never in her life had she been so thoroughly bested by someone when it came to seeking them out, let alone her favorite target.

"I told you," Naru sighed as she took a seat on the other sofa in the living room, the gift in her hands dropping listlessly onto the coffee table in front of her, "It's like he leaves the country or something for 24 hours, then just pops back up the next day as if nothing happened."

Both girls shrank into their respective seats, wishing they would swallow them up. This was the scene that Motoko came across as she returned with Shinobu and Suu from school, "I take it your search was unsuccessful, Naru-sempai? Kitsune-sempai?"

"Taro-chan is a worthy foe," Kitsune replied sagely, "Normally I've been able to find him regardless of wherever he hid himself, but today it's like he left the country!"

"I-I'm sure Sempai has a good reason for leaving," Shinobu defended, although for the life of her she couldn't figure out what would make the young man disappear either.

Seeing her friends in a funk, Suu brought up an idea, "Oh! Oh! I know! Suu can make a Keitaro-radar using some of his DNA! With that, we can find him in no time!"

At that outburst, Kitsune again rose from her seat, "Dammit Suu! Why didn't you say that earlier!?"

"Uhh…Suu forgot? Sowwie!"

Kitsune just barely managed not to facefault into the floor, "Ya know what…nevahmind. Suu, you go make that radar! I am NOT lettin Taro-chan defeat me today!"

"Yay! I'll go make it now!" Suu ran upstairs, Kitsune hot on her heels. Shinobu muttered something about getting supplies for dinner from her room before running upstairs, forgetting that Motoko knew very well that all her cooking supplies were already present in the kitchen.

"Sometimes I question the sanity of the members of this household," the tall kendoka huffed before starting in the direction of the stairs. Just as she was about to take her first step, however, a faint pulse of ki shot across her senses, _'Huh?! What was that?'_

Concentrating her ki-sensing ability, Motoko began to scan the immediate area. Unable to find the source in the dorm, she then expanded her senses outward and pushed them to their limits.

'_Still nothing…I'm approaching the boundaries of how far I can-THERE!'_

Finally locating the source, she then felt it out with her own ki, determined to know who it was that was all the way out in the forest, _'Hmm…it's a bit different from normal for some reason…full of rage…but it feels like…Urashima-san?'_

Having committed the location to memory, Motoko began heading in the direction of the hot springs. Her abrupt change in direction caught Naru's attention, snapping the girl out of her depressed fugue, "Are you heading to the baths, Motoko-chan?"

"N-no, Naru-sempai," Motoko stuttered slightly as she tried to think of an excuse. This would probably be the best chance for her to learn more about the mysterious landlord without being distracted, but only if she went alone, "I'm just going out to the forest to train for a bit. The rooftop deck is full of drying laundry and I would rather not run the risk of disturbing it."

Seemingly satisfied by the lie, the bespectacled girl nodded, "Oh, gotcha. In that case, I think I'll just head to my room and start studying."

"That sounds like a good idea," the kendoka agreed, waiting for Naru to head up the stairs before resuming her trip to the back. All the while her mind was filling up with new questions.

'_What in the world are you doing that far into the forest, Urashima-san? And why does your ki feel so much…angrier than before? You have a lot of explaining to do…'_

* * *

"596! 597! 598! 599! 600!" Keitaro swiftly brought his bokken down in the air, the point stopping barely millimeters above the ground as he completed his latest set of katas. Ever since leaving his aunt's tea shop that morning, the boy had been hard at work training, tuning out anything that would distract him.

Taking a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow, the vigilant young man glanced around at the clearing. It was by sheer dumb luck that he had found the wide open space on one of his earlier sojourns through the forest. It was a comfy area with a large open patch of green grass, surrounded by bamboo stalks. In the center was a small stone shrine, the top of which was spotted with several patches of moss, giving it a very weathered appearance. Off to the side of the field were three thick wooden stakes that came up to the landlord's shoulders, their centers tied up with bandages and rope. Keitaro had been using them to practice some of his attack combinations, resulting in several scratches and divots in the old wood.

"Well, that ends that…what's next…," Keitaro looked over to a tree stump at the edge of the field. Resting on top of it was an open scroll that appeared to be extremely old, with frayed edges and faint writing. The paper was a deep crimson, like freshly spilt blood. As he considered the contents of the scroll, the avenger's eyes were drawn to the words scrawled at the top.

"…_**Ryuketsu no Shinsei **_**(Nova of Bloodshed)**," Keitaro whispered the phrase reverently, as if worshiping a god, "Perfect name for this curse…"

As he ran the name through his mind, the young landlord's frowned when he recalled the first time he'd heard that name.

"…that's what she called it too…"

* * *

_Once again he found himself surrounded by a sea of nothingness. An endless blanket of white stretched as far as the eye could see, to the point that he couldn't tell what was up and what was down. While a regular person would be unnerved by such a place, Keitaro would normally not care much about it._

_Or at least that would be the case, if it wasn't for the ghastly apparition standing in front of him._

_She was wearing the same kimono as that fateful night. Her hair still flowed down to the middle of her back like a river of raven black. She was older now, having somehow aged over the years despite no longer being among the living. Only two things stood out that reminded the young man he was looking at a ghost: the still bleeding exit wound on her chest from getting run through by _Juuchi Yosamu.

_And her eyes. Her dead brown eyes._

"…_Saya…" he whispered brokenly, his arms slowly coming up to reach out to her. He tried to hug her close like he used to, to feel her warmth as she hugged him back. And yet, like every other time he'd been brought to this place, he came short of her by scant inches, his fingertips barely brushing the aged silk of her garb._

"…_you shouldn't be here, Kyo-nii," the pale apparition looked upon her brother with worry, "you've been using it more, haven't you?"_

_The grieving avenger tilted his head in confusion, "What do you mean, Saya-chan? Using what?"_

"_You shouldn't use it anymore…it'll hurt you," Saya warned, tears of blood streaming her face. The sight of his deceased sister crying pulled harshly at the avenger's heart, his arms working twice as hard to reach her. Unfortunately, it was as if he was stuck in stasis and couldn't move a single inch forward._

"_I don't understand sis! Using what?! And why can't I reach you dammit!"_

"_Don't use it anymore…" Saya warned before a change came over her. Her once dead brown eyes shifted to a crimson as dark as the blood that continued to stream from her wound. Their surroundings also began to tinge crimson as well.. _

"_Wait…tell me more! Don't leave me again, Saya-chan! Please! Don't go!" the avenger screamed and clawed at the space like a madman, never once taking notice that his own body was slowly disappearing as he began to awaken. Before he faded completely, he was barely able to make out his sister's final words._

"_Don't use the __**Ryuketsu no Shinsei**__…or else you'll-"_

* * *

"Huh…never can hear out that last part," Keitaro huffed to himself, before realizing he'd slipped into using the accursed ki during his recollection. Taking a slow breath, the Mononobe heir recalled the ki into himself before willing it back into its dormant state.

"Huh…normally I'm better with my control than this…" the landlord stood and dusted himself off before placing the scroll back in his gi and picking up his bokken to resume his katas. Judging from the glow of the sunset coming through the bamboo, Keitaro guessed he'd been distracted for about an hour. As he began his next set of exercises, he smiled and called out to the forest, "You can come out now if you want, Aoyama-san. I don't bite, ya know."

After a few moments, the sound of crunching leaves resounded throughout the clearing as a slightly disgruntled Motoko made her way out of the forest and into the training area, "Your spatial awareness and perception are quite strong, Urashima-san. I was sure I cloaked my ki-signature perfectly."

"Oh you did, but it wasn't your ki that gave you away," the landlord replied while continuing his basic striking katas, "It was your scent. I have a pretty good nose and your scent stuck out from the rest of the area like a sore thumb."

"…I don't know if I should feel disturbed or amazed that you know my scent so well," the kendoka deadpanned, "By the way…were you aware that the others were looking for you? They've almost torn the dorm apart in their search."

That statement stopped Keitaro mid-swing, "What? Really? Is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine…they are just blowing the whole situation out of proportion…as per normal when Kitsune-sempai is involved with anything," Motoko sighed before taking a seat against one of the three stumps in the ground, "Naru-sempai apparently tried to surprise you with a gift this morning, and when she found your room unoccupied, she screamed in surprise, alerting the rest of us."

"…she snuck into my room this morning?" Keitaro's brain seemed to shut down upon hearing those words, "wait…surprise me with a gift?"

The kendoka huffed and crossed her arms under her chest, "I cannot imagine why she wasted her time to honor such a stupid holiday, but she made you a _giri-choco_ for Valentine's Day."

To her surprise, the landlord didn't become flustered upon hearing what Naru had done. On the contrary, his face seemed to fall as he smiled sadly, "Ah…is that right…I forgot that was still a thing…"

Motoko watched for a moment as the boy collected himself and began swinging his bokken once more, her eyes focusing on how precise and natural his strikes seemed to flow, "Strange, I thought men _liked_ receiving chocolates on this day. They boast about it all the time at school."

"Most do, but I never really saw Valentine's day like that," the landlord responded without pausing his katas, "So many people focus on just the purely romantic side of it that they fail to remember the true essence of the holiday…it's a bit disappointing really."

"…the true essence of the holiday?" the younger girl asked. His words set off a spark in her mind, piquing her curiosity. Unaware of this, Keitaro replied, "Yes. While Valentine's Day is indeed a day to celebrate romantic love, it is also a day to celebrate love in general. Familial love, love between friends. We all love in some way, shape or form. It is the essence of that universal love that should be celebrated, but unfortunately it's been forgotten by people these days."

"…I see," Motoko whispered, once again feeling a faint constricting feeling in her heart. Long ago, she could recall hearing something similar, but for reasons unknown the identity of who'd told her such a thing eluded her, "Did you…come across this way of thinking on your own, Urashima-san?"

'_Hmm…it was Dad that told me this, but obviously I can't tell her that,'_ Keitaro thought as he racked his brain for a believable answer, "No…a good friend of mine told me this when I was a boy…well, a YOUNGER boy than I am now obviously."

His answer did little to quell the pain in the kendoka's chest, but she did a superb job of hiding her discomfort, "Your friend sounds very wise."

"Yea…he was," the grief in Keitaro's voice was almost palpable, despite his best effort to keep it buried, "I remember every year that his family used to go out together, even if we had school. His parents would take them to the beach, where they had a private spot to themselves. I usually tagged along with them, since they thought of me as family, even though I was an outsider. That whole outing was devoted to strengthening that love between family and friends, and I honestly can't think of anyone that celebrated the true essence of love itself as much as they did."

Somewhere during his explanation, Keitaro had put his bokken down and took a seat next to Motoko, leaning his back on the stump next to hers. The young girl was so enthralled by his tale that she never noticed how close they were sitting. Even when he finished, the kendo girl still said nothing about his proximity, focusing only on the string of memories that had come to the forefront of her mind.

"…I also had a friend," she started softly, part of her trying to stop herself from baring such a damaged part of her soul to someone she still held mixed views over, but the pain in his voice called to her somehow, and it was a calling she couldn't refuse, "who thought similarly. His family would make celebrating that day such a grandiose affair. My sister and I would often be invited, and it was…quite entertaining, to say the least."

Keitaro looked over to the girl and noticed the slightly happy expression on her face, "Huh…sounds like a sweet time."

"It was-" she continued, before suddenly realizing what she was about to say, and to whom. The landlord nearly jumped when the girl stood up abruptly and dusting herself off before marching out of the clearing. Before she left earshot, she called out over her shoulder, "In any case, you better head back soon, Urashima-san. You've caused quite an issue for Naru-sempai and the others already. Don't make me come out here to get you again!"

"Uh…right! I'll come back inside in a bit!" Keitaro replied back before standing up himself. He could still see the anguish in Motoko's eyes as she left. He picked up his bokken from the ground and made his way out of the clearing. All the while, his mind was stuck on the last expression of his young tenant.

'_So she still remembers those days too…'_ he thought as he made his way back to the dorms, _'I'll have to be more careful…for both of our sakes…'_

* * *

Naru huffed as she went through another practice exam in her room. It was half past eleven at night, the moon casting an ethereal glow into the dimly lit bedroom, but the diligent student took no notice, her mind focused solely on her task…and on how Keitaro had (unintentionally) snubbed her the entire day.

'_Stupid Keitaro-san…all that work and planning…and I thought I had him this time!'_ she thought angrily as she went through another problem, _'ugh…I don't even know why I'm so mad about this…'_

Before she could get much further in her thoughts, a knock on the door caused the young woman to jump in her seat, "Oh, one second!"

Naru brushed away some dust from her skirt as she rose from her seat and headed for the door. Thinking it was probably Kitsune or Motoko at the door, she wasted no time in sliding it open, only to find that it was neither of the two that awaited her.

"Uhh…hey Naru-san. I, uh, heard you were looking for me?"

The lovely brunette could only stare in muted shock as the very person she had been hunting for and silently fuming at now stood in her door way, his hand scratching the back of his head nervously. After a moment, her face became blank before abruptly grabbing Keitaro by the scruff of his gi and pulling him inside. The young landlord was so caught off guard he didn't react to the sudden aggressive gesture, allowing himself to be dragged into the room over to the covered hole in the floor.

"Uhh…Naru-san? What are you-"

Naru didn't even let him finish as she kicked the panel covering the hole off and held the now slightly frightened young man over the opening. Without even a word or a change in her facial expression, she dropped Keitaro back down into his room. Thanks to his training, he was able to land on his feet, but looked back up questioningly at the young woman before she moved away from the hole to another part of her room.

"Uhh…I-Is everything ok, Naru-san?" Keitaro called out as he racked his brain for a possible cause for his friend's ire, "If I did anything to piss you off, whatever it was, then I apologize."

Light footsteps were heard above him for a moment before suddenly two stocking-clad feet passed through the hole. Realizing what she was doing, Keitaro quickly went over and held the beautiful girl by her hips as she finished climbing down. After setting her down on the ground, the landlord tried to step back. He didn't expect the sudden shove from Naru that pushed him onto his futon, which luckily for him he'd unrolled soon after he got back.

"…Naru-san, you're starting to scare me a bit…"

"…you're a real jerk you know that?"

Keitaro blinked once. Then twice, "…I'm sorry?"

Naru continued to stare at him blankly, putting the boy's nerves on edge, before she suddenly knelt in front of him and thrust something into his face, the boy recoiling as if expecting an attack. Taking a closer look at what was in her hands, Keitaro tentatively reached out, "…a pink box?"

The girl bowed her head in order to hide the blush she could no longer fight off, "H…Ha…Happy Valentine's day, you dummy."

Realization and guilt crashed down suddenly on the boy as he figured out why his lovely studying partner had been so angry with him, "Aww crap, don't tell me you spent the whole day looking for me just to give me this?!"

"Not the whole day, dumbass!" Naru argued, taking a retaliatory swing at the boy as he took the box from her, only to growl menacingly when he simply ducked under the strike, "And why can't you stay still and let me deck you for once?!"

"…because your punches are the devil and you'd probably take my head off if I let you hit me," the deadpan reply didn't help the young woman's anger at all, but her frustration was forgotten the moment Keitaro opened the box and saw the chocolate inside, "Uh…it might've gotten a little crushed since it was in my bag…but that's your fault since you ditched me this morning before I could give it to you!"

The landlord gazed at the sweet gift for a moment. It was in the shape of a heart with a caricature of Liddo-kun lying on top. One of its arms seemed to be melting, but otherwise it was a near perfect replica. Below the bust of the famous cartoon character was 'To Keitaro-san' written in melted white chocolate.

"Wow…you really put out all the stops, huh?" Keitaro's voice was barely above a whisper as he admired the gift. He was touched by his friend's effort, despite normally hating to receive chocolates from anyone on Valentine's Day after the loss of his family.

"Damn right I did! You better be grateful," Naru crossed her arms and tilted her head up and away from Keitaro, her face reddening further. The landlord laughed at her antics, "I'm really grateful, thanks Naru-san," a mischievous smirk suddenly came across his face, "now I just hope it actually tastes as good as it looks…can't judge a book by its cover."

His words had the exact effect he was looking for: Naru's blush covered her entire face and she sprang towards him, "Well if you're gonna be such a fucking jerk about it, then don't eat it! I'll just toss it out!"

"Heel, woman, heel!" the landlord laughed as he held Naru at bay with a single hand on her shoulder while the other hand held the box on the ground. The feisty young girl soon started pushing him down though, amazing the Mononobe heir with her strength, _'Sheesh! If I didn't know better, I'd say she was reinforcing herself with ki…'_

A swift burst of strength from Naru caught the landlord off guard, and the hand on the ground slipped. His only support gone, Keitaro crashed onto his back, Naru hitting his chest seconds later as the jarring force of his abrupt drop caused him to lose his hold on the woman's shoulder.

"Ugh…we gotta stop ending up like this," Keitaro grumbled as he rubbed the top of his head. Naru stuck her tongue out at him playfully before realizing both of her hands were now resting on top of her friend's chest, _'Whoa…he's rock solid…his training must be totally hard core…'_

Keitaro froze in surprise when he felt the girl's delicate hands gently rub and squeeze his pectoral muscles, the sensation feeling oddly comforting to him. That's when he also took note of how close Naru's face was to his, along with how she was accidentally straddling him. He never stood a chance against the blush that tinged his cheeks, "Uhh…Naru-san?"

"Huh?" the brunette looked up, a slightly dazed look in her eyes. Slowly, she became more cognizant of her position, the red returning to her face even faster than before. But despite her embarrassment, she didn't jump off of him like he'd expected her to. Instead, the two simply gazed at each other for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, Keitaro grinned, despite the color not leaving his face, "You know, you seem pretty comfortable right now."

"…well maybe I am," Naru countered, a smirk coming over her face. Two could play at that game apparently. She didn't know why she was being so lighthearted when normally she would've decked the man below her into orbit, but lately the bespectacled brunette had been feeling far more comfortable around her new landlord than she'd ever been. It was a new experience for her, and she found it…interesting…dangerous…fun.

'_It's strange…I don't think I've been this relaxed with a guy since Seta-sensei…but it's different somehow with Keitaro-san…'_

"Oh? Is that right?" the landlord replied coolly, placing both forearms on the ground and pushing up a bit, enough to bring his face closer to the long-haired beauty still straddling him, "Saying something like that could give a guy the wrong message, ya know?"

The brunette's smirk grew a bit wider as she too leaned forward, until her forehead was pressed against Keitaro's own, "And what message would that be, mister?"

The playful, almost sultry voice she'd spoken in sent a chill down Keitaro's spine. In his mind he knew they were pushing the envelope pretty far with their little charade, as he could already feel _something_ pushing him to close the distance. His pride, however, wouldn't let him stop what had been set in motion.

"If I have to spell it out for you, then you're more dense than me," Naru felt her body shiver faintly as Keitaro's breath ghosted over her lips, which to her surprise, were scant millimeters away from his own.

'_Whoa…he's really close…is he gonna…'_

"FOUND YOU!"

A crash at the door quickly brought the two out of their trance. Looking over to the other side of the room, the Tokyo U aspirants found Suu and Kitsune lying in heap, limbs all tangled and hair and absolute mess. In the foreigner's hands was a strange looking device that somewhat resembled a mini radar of sorts.

"Ack! Suu! Why'd ya hafta barrel through the door like that?!" Kitsune whined as she tried to disentangle herself from the hyperactive blonde, who wasn't making things any easier for her.

Seeing the girls were distracted, Naru took the opportunity to get up off Keitaro, dusting off her skirt as she stood before giving a hand to the landlord to help him off the floor. The landlord smiled in thanks before taking her gesture and hopping to his own feet before turning to the two still struggling on the ground, "So…mind telling me why my door was just broken off the hinges, ladies?"

The foxy woman cringed at the tone of the landlord's voice and peered up at him, "Oh…uh…hey Taro-chan! Fancy meetin you here…in your…room…" even to her, the line sounded incredibly lame.

"Uh huh…what kind of trouble have you and Suu been getting yourselves into now?"

"No one could find you all day and everyone was getting worried!" Suu jumped to her feet, mysteriously freeing herself from Kitsune in a flash and bouncing in front of the slightly surprised landlord, "So I made this awesome Keitaro-Radar to find you!"

Keitaro facepalmed, "Ugh…I didn't know everyone would've been so troubled just because I disappeared, but that's not an excuse to go tearing up the dorms looking for me."

While the landlord began lecturing the mischievous pair, Naru took the moment to climb back up the hole into her room, thanking her lucky stars that neither Kitsune nor Suu had noticed her rather precarious situation with the young man. Getting into her pajamas and sliding into her futon for the night, the lovely young woman frowned in thought as she recalled how close she was to losing her first kiss.

'_I don't get it…I thought I was in love with Seta-sensei…but why did I feel like I wanted Keitaro-san to kiss me? Hmph…stupid jerk, wrong message my ass!'_

* * *

**Author's Note - Hello again everyone! So...really long delay...I'm an ass and life is an evil roller coaster. Anyway, this is just the first of two posts (yea, you read that right), so I figure I'll leave my really long note at the end of the next chapter. **


	8. Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son

**Chapter VII – Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son**

"And breathe in…hold for ten…and breathe out…and you're done, pops!"

"Huh…this meditation thing wasn't half bad…we should do this more often, Ichimaru-kun!"

Ichimaru gave his father one of his rare sincere smiles, "Sounds good to me. You seemed a little stressed lately, so I figured some old father-son bondin time might be perfect for ya."

The two Tachibana were currently sitting in the middle of the dojo on the second floor of their new home, dressed in red and black training gi and enjoying the tranquil silence. Since their official move to the hidden compound, Minato and the triplets had been doing their best to adjust to the new surroundings. Now, two weeks later, everyone seemed to have acclimated just fine, despite Minato's increased workload from assisting his brother/clan head in managing clan affairs.

"You're damned right it was! I feel ten years younger already!" Minato sprang up from his position on the ground, stretching his arms in the air to limber up, "Now we can get down to business. What's on the schedule, son?"

Ichimaru reached into his gi and removed a small planner, opening it to the page he needed, "Well, today you and Kurotora-sama are supposed to meet with the Imperial Family to discuss the new security parameters being put in place. Then there's the luncheon with the prime minister and the state secretary for defense to discuss the purchase of our new medicinal products, as well as try to get a good word in about Akasuisei…"

"I see…we might have to scratch that last bit off. I've been in the ear of the prime minister about our company for a good while, but he won't budge," Minato scowled fiercely at the thought of the countless times he'd been politely, but firmly refused by the Japanese Ministry of Defense to have Akasuisei become their primary source of munitions, "Those fucktards over at Nagareboshi have em all wrapped around their fingers! Gah! I wish Tora woulda burned the whole lot of em along with those Mononobe dogs!"

"Well, we can't win em all," Ichimaru responded with a shrug, "at least we still have the advantage in medical development and innovation. Nagareboshi's pharmaceutical branch hasn't been doing all that great compared to the rest of its divisions, so there's some silver lining here."

Minato sighed, "I guess. Still, I'm supposed to be the CEO of Akasuisei. If I can't net the people who're supposed to be our biggest clients, then what good am I doing Heihachi and the rest?"

The squinty-eyed boy rose from his seat on the ground and padded over to his father, patting the much larger man's shoulder, "Don't let it get ya all bent outta shape, pops. You'll find a way to win em over, just give it more time."

"I hope so, son. I hope so," the giant of a man looked over at his son and smiled in thanks, "Anyway, you said you wanted to check out the panic room, right? How much time we got before the meeting with the Emperor and his family?"

"About 3 more hours, give or take," Ichimaru replied.

"Plenty of time then, let's go."

The two quickly left the dojo and made their way downstairs. All around them, sub-branch members were cleaning and moving things into place, as there were still quite a few of Minato's and the boys' possessions that still needed to be unpacked. During the brief trip, not a single sub-branch member looked up or said anything to the two main-branch members, instead doing whatever they had to to stay out of their way. The fear he could sense from them brought a condescending grin to Minato's face, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of how scared of us these bottom-feeding half-breeds are."

"It's kinda funny really," Ichimaru replied as they descended the steps and entered the hallway leading to the panic room, "They outnumber all of us main branch members, but all ya gotta do is look at em funny and they'll piss their pants."

Minato laughed until he was interrupted by his cell phone ringing, "Hold on a second son, I gotta take this."

Seeing Ichimaru wave him off, the burly Tachibana reached into his pocket and answered, "Moshi-Moshi! How's it goin, 'Hachi?"

"I wish I could say things were going well, but that would be a lie," the taciturn voice of Heihachi Tachibana replied, "I'm afraid I won't be able to make the meeting with the Imperial family later today, brother. Something's come up."

"Really? That doesn't sound good, what happened?" Minato frowned. Heihachi _never_ missed a chance to meet with the Imperial family. Whatever had forced him to leave had to be serious business.

"I received a call from one of Amagai's former associates last night," the clan head began, "Apparently they suffered a major hack a couple of days ago. Most of their databases were wiped clean by a new virus none of them had ever seen before."

Minato huffed a bit before replying, "So? They have backups in case of stuff like that, don't they? Those idiots can just restore the data-"

"Normally that would be the case, if the virus hadn't been able to somehow jump into the backups and wipe them as well."

The elder Tachibana froze, "_Hontou?!_ The backups too?! How?! Viruses aren't THAT smart!"

"This one was though," Heihachi confirmed grimly, "and it appears it transmitted some files to an unknown location before deleting everything. Unfortunately, they couldn't trace where those files ended up."

"_Kuso!_" Minato growled, inwardly furious at this new development, "Do we know which files were taken?"

He could almost hear his younger brother nod over the phone, "Judging from the drive that was attacked first, I'm almost one hundred percent certain they were the files from the 'job' in Hakodate, the one regarding the construction of the new tram system."

"Aww shit," Minato cursed, remembering exactly which 'job' Heihachi was alluding to, "We rigged that whole thing in favor of that one company that promised us a ton of shares once the tram system was up and running!"

"Indeed. It gets worse however," Heihachi's ominous tone sent a tendril of fear down Minato's spine, "that same company also had some files go missing from their records room. Paper files. With signatures of the heads of the company _and_ Amagai himself. There was no sign of a break-in however, so the authorities are investigating the employees."

Minato nearly threw his phone against the wall in his anger, "Are you shittin me?! How'd this motherfucker know to hit that particular no-name company in the first place?! That whole operation could get sunk if this gets out!"

Through his older brother's enraged yelling, Heihachi snuck in a response, "We could lose far more than that if news of Amagai's other _dealings_ gets out. We will have to prepare for potential fallout…as well as other attacks."

"…other attacks?" Minato asked. He had assumed this was a random, if not exceedingly lucky, attack, "What are you talking about, 'Hachi? Something I'm missing?"

Heihachi took a moment to respond, "Think for a moment brother. A tenacious virus, perfect anonymity, insider knowledge on files that are only known to a few. If you piece it all together, it all seems familiar…._too_ familiar…"

It didn't take long for Minato to connect the dots, and when he did, it took all he had not to throw his phone across the hall, "KUSO! You don't really think-"

"I do…it seems _a certain troublemaker_ has finally decided to show himself once again…"

* * *

"Hey pops, where's the fire?" Ichimaru questioned as he watched his father hastily make his way out of the panic room into the long hallway. One second the older man had been conversing on the phone, the next he was rushing out of the room to parts unknown. It had thrown the middle triplet for a loop.

Minato said nothing as he escalated the stairs back into the hallway. Just as he cleared the entrance, he felt something small crash into his leg.

"What the hell?"

Looking down, the giant Tachibana saw a small boy no older than four sitting on the ground, rubbing his forehead where a small bump was starting to grow. He was a scrawny little thing, with light brown hair and eyes, and wearing ragged looking clothes. Tied on his upper left arm was the band that signified a member of the sub-branch of the Tachibana.

"Well well, what do we got here?" Minato questioned aloud as he gave the small boy an appraising glance. Just as the boy looked up, and nearly wet himself upon recognizing _who_ he had just bumped into, a middle-aged man came running into the hallway, panting for breath.

"Yusuke, how many times have I told you to-" the nondescript sub-branch member stopped midsentence as he too recognized just who he had run into, and where, "M-M-Minato-sama! I-Ichimaru-sama!"

"Hoooo...well isn't this interesting. Sub-branch member in a sealed off section of the compound," Minato began lowly as he shook his head, "getting ahead of ourselves now that we're in a new home, are we?"

The sub-branch member paled until his complexion was identical to a fresh sheet of paper, "F-F-Forgive my boy! I had to keep him n-near me while I was w-w-working on s-some repairs out back. H-he just became a l-little restless and ran off. I-I t-t-tried to stop him, I swear!"

Minato and Ichimaru both gave the man false looks of sympathy, before the bearded Tachibana lifted his hands harmlessly, "Now, now, hold on there. No need to get all bent outta shape," he walked over and gently placed a hand on the panicking sub-branch member, making him stiffen, "We all had randy kids at one point or another. Hell, you shoulda seen Ichimaru and his brothers when they were growin up! Bouncin off the walls, I tell ya."

Turning to his middle son, Minato motioned for him to get the boy, who was shaking in fear like his father, "Ichimaru-kun, take his son over to the playpen where the other sub-branch kiddies are. Poor boy looks like he's about to pass out."

"Gotcha, pops!" Ichimaru responded with a small smile that turned sinister once he caught the look in his father's eye. Reaching down, he gently helped the boy up and began to escort him out of the hallway, "C'mon Yusuke-chan, let's go join the other kids. How about I give you some candy? Help ya calm down a bit?"

"R-Really?" Yusuke whispered, his panic starting to settle before a small grin spread over his face, "T-thanks, Ichimaru-sama!"

Nodding to the child, the two walked back towards the main foyer, Minato just barely glimpsing his son reaching into his pocket to give the small boy what looked to be a mint of some kind. Once they were alone, Minato turned back towards the sub-branch clan member, "So, what's your name again? There's so many of you guys around here, I get lucky if I remember five of ya, let alone over a hundred."

"D-Daichi…" the servant answered, still with a look of abject fright in his eyes as he faced the imposing man, "I-I'm terribly sorry about all of this, Minato-sama!"

To his surprise, Minato laughed, "Ahh, don't worry about it so much, Daichi! Like I said, accidents happen sometimes! Just gotta make sure they don't repeat themselves, is all."

Daichi nodded, giving the bearded Tachibana the impression of a bobble-head toy, "O-Of course, Minato-sama! I'll discipline Yusuke and the rest of my children in order to p-prevent such a thing from ever happening again!"

"Good grief, you need to calm down some," Minato shook his head in exasperation before, in a surprising move, hugging the still shivering man, "easy there, Daichi-kun. Though the blood's a bit diluted, we're all family here."

Absolutely flabbergasted by Minato's uncommon gesture, Daichi woodenly raised his arms and returned the gesture of good will. It took a few moments, but the panicking man finally settled down, "Thank you, M-Minato-sama. Thank you!"

"No thanks necessary Daichi-kun…just gotta make sure it doesn't happen again…"

So humbled by Minato's actions, Daichi never noticed the bigger man's hold on him tighten a little more, or the blade that the main branch member slipped from inside his sleeve. The only indication the sub-branch member had that something was wrong was when he felt something sharp and cold plunge into the back of his neck, severing his spine in one go. He never felt the second and third stabs from behind which punctured his lungs, filling his mouth with blood and robbing him of the ability to scream.

Slowly, Minato lowered to the ground, carefully maneuvering the dying Daichi onto the floor in such a way that he was able to prevent any blood from getting onto his elaborate purple robes. Looking down at his moribund cousin, the malicious Tachibana sneered, "And what better way to make sure none of you other _gaijin_ trash fucks up than to make you and your family an example?"

Leaving the body where it lay for now, Minato ventured out towards the main foyer, where he spotted Ichimaru and a sleeping Yusuke on the couch. Both Tachibana eyed each other for a moment before the younger nodded, his signature snake-like smile on his face.

"Well…looks like you and your brothers are gonna have your first hunt sooner than we thought," the taller man began as he removed a rag from inside his robes and began wiping off his knife, "you remember the drill, right?"

"O'course I do, pops. I'll let the others know when they get back…Ranmaru might take a while though."

"Hmph…probably out at that club of his banging whores again," Minato grumbled before heading to the stairs. Before he left eyeshot, he glanced at his son again, "Don't start right away. I'd say wait until the day Akisora goes for his exam. Everyone'll be out that night celebrating his impending entrance to Tokyo U. It'll leave Daichi-kun's family in suspense for a week or so," he grinned evilly to the seated boy, "y'know…let em squirm a bit. Prey's always more fun to hunt when they're afraid…"

Ichimaru's smile widened a fraction, "Ooooh, you're terrible pops. Don't worry I'll tell Ran and Riki to hold off."

"Good…and don't forget to take care of _that_ before you go to bed," Minato indicated towards the young boy peacefully resting on Ichimaru's side before mounting the stairs. After watching his father go, Ichimaru looked down at his charge, noticing what looked like foam on the corner of his mouth.

"Huh…I thought we worked out that little reaction a while ago…oh well," he sighed as he took a rag from the table in front of him and began wiping the boy's mouth, "Ah, cyanide problems…"

* * *

Naru stretched her arms into the air and groaned in relief as she exited the building where, after two years of studying and preparation, she had finally taken her Tokyo U entrance exam. Peering up at the sky, she noticed the sun was beginning to set a bit, already painting the sky orange.

"Hmm…where is that jerk? He said he'd wait up for me," the bespectacled girl mused to herself as she looked around the campus. Both of the aspiring university students had left early in order to properly navigate their way around the Komaba Campus of Tokyo U, where their exams would be held. Having never been there before, Keitaro had suggested the early arrival in order to avoid being lost. Once they got there, the two decided to meet up at the park on the eastern side of the campus when they'd finished.

As she made her way over to the rendezvous, Naru took the time to reflect on her performance on the exam. Several of the questions she'd seen had not been covered in her review guides, so she had to improvise a lot more than she was comfortable with, but she still believed her chances to be good.

'_I'm pretty sure I passed…minus maybe the math section, but seriously, conic sections?! Who the hell would test people on that?!'_

Minutes later, she realized she had already reached the park, and was able to spot her landlord/best friend lying on the grass next to the water, his hands behind his head acting as a pillow as he napped, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world. After much needling from Naru, Keitaro had forgone his usual traditional garb and was dressed in slightly baggy black jeans, a navy-blue long sleeved polo, and a pair of simple black sneakers. She hadn't been able to dissuade him from his traditional navy-blue and white short-sleeved haori, although she suspected he'd worn it just to tick her off.

As she slowly approached him, the lovely brunette scoffed at how relaxed he seemed, even after taking such a rigorous test.

'_Hmph…look at him sleeping like he didn't just take the biggest exam of his life…'_

Finally reaching him, Naru crouched down in front of his head and gently poked him on the forehead, "Hey you. Wake up before you catch a cold."

Keitaro yawned before opening one eye and looking up at his friend, "Huh…I was wondering when you'd finally get out. What took you so long?"

Naru bristled, "Well excuse me for wanting to take my time and NOT fail, you jerk!" she huffed in mock anger, much to Keitaro's amusement, "Most of those sections were new material that wasn't covered in review. Totally not cool!"

The young man chuckled before sitting up and patting a spot of grass next to him, "Sounds like you need to get some of that frustration off your chest. Sit down and relax for a bit, it's not like we have to be back home anytime soon."

Taking his advice, Naru sat down, albeit a little closer than the landlord thought she would but it was of little consequence. The bespectacled brunette then spent the next few minutes ranting about the injustice of the few exam sections they had added, among other minor things. All throughout, Keitaro lent a supportive ear and an encouraging word here and there. Eventually, the lovely girl next to him finished and the two spent the next few moments in comfortable silence, admiring the frozen lake. Suddenly, Keitaro looked over to Naru, a curious look in his eye.

"So…random question. What made you decide to try for Tokyo U, anyway?"

His inquiry caught her a bit off guard, as evidenced by the slightly wide-eyed stare she gave him for a few seconds, "Why do you want to know?"

Keitaro shrugged, "Well, I know you always used to go on about getting in, and it was the reason why you became such a bookworm the last couple years we were in school," she playfully punched his shoulder at the 'bookwork' jibe, earning a laugh from the young man, "But I never knew why you went so nuts over the place. Just call me curious, I guess. You don't have to answer if you don't want to…"

"No, it's cool. You just never asked me before, so you kinda caught me off guard," Naru shifted closer to him to get warm, to the point her shoulder bumped into his, "Well…to be honest, I wanted to keep a promise to someone."

The landlord raised an eyebrow in surprise, "A promise? Really?"

"Yep! It was to my tutor," Naru's eyes glazed over as she dredged up the memory, "back in 10th grade, I wasn't really the best student. So my parents went out and got me a tutor to help me for a couple months. He was so cool and mature, but kinda goofy too. I remember always doing my best to try and impress him."

Keitaro noticed the slightly rosy hue on his friend's cheeks as she went on, and decided to file it away for teasing material later, "Uh huh…makes sense. He sounds like he left quite the impression on you."

Naru nodded, "Yea, I guess it does sound like that, huh? When he told me he was a student at Tokyo U, and how hard it was to get in, I promised him that I'd ace the entrance exam on the first try. He laughed at me a bit, but he said that I had nothing to worry about and that he'd see me when I went to the opening ceremony…"

The landlord suddenly noticed Naru's eyes becoming misty and her smile fading into a small frown, "But right after that session, he disappeared. I don't know what happened to him, but no one could reach him after that day. It was almost like he didn't exist."

"Sheesh, talk about irresponsible…that almost sounds familiar to someone I know," Keitaro huffed, instantly remembering his 'aunt's' ex-boyfriend, Seta Noriyasu. Just remembering the face of the man who'd been like an annoying, but dependable older brother-figure in his life was enough to give the avenger a headache…and a small smile, but mostly a headache.

"Well anyway," Naru went on, "I figured if I could keep my promise and get into the university, then I could try to find him to let him know I kept my promise-"

"As well as declare your undying love for him and tell him you wanna have his babies!"

The rosy color of Naru's face quickly shifted to an atomic red, which was followed by the girl doing her best to hit the young man sitting next to her, "Ugh, you jerk! Pervert! I don't know why I even bothered to tell you any of that!"

Keitaro laughed as he defended himself from the embarrassed girl's onslaught, "Hey, I don't hear you denying any of it!"

The two carried on until Naru finally ran out of energy. Huffing at her inability to hit the young man, she laid her head down on his shoulder, "Hmph…why the hell did I get stuck with a big jerk for a landlord…"

"Ask Granny whenever we see her again," Keitaro replied, nonplussed at Naru's actions. His right hand absently rose up and started gently rubbing his friend's hair, something she found to feel _really_ good for some reason. Naru sighed comfortably and turned to face the landlord, "So…what was _your_ reason for trying to get into the university? I remember a while back, you said it was too troublesome and you didn't want to waste your time?"

Keitaro grimaced somewhat as he recalled that moment, "Yea…I wasn't really into it at the time, but later on…"

"Later on, what?" the lovely brunette asked, her interest suddenly piqued even more, "Tell me!"

The young swordsman chuckled humorlessly, "Well…"

* * *

"_Straight 'A' student again in school, Kyoshiro-kun? Awesome!" Kazuya praised as he read his son's academic progress report, a huge grin on his face. Kyoshiro blushed as he accepted the praise, "Thanks, Dad! It wasn't easy though, some of those subjects were nuts, ya know!"_

_His father nodded in sympathy, "I hear ya, kiddo. I never was that good with academics when I was your age. That was more your mother's area of expertise. In any case, if you keep this up you'll get into Tokyo U no problem when it's time to apply."_

"_Tokyo U?"_

"_Oh right, you probably haven't heard much about it," Kazuya recalled, taking a seat on the ground to better face his son, "That's the most prestigious university in the country. It's where your auntie Haru studied and met Seta…now there's a story."_

_Kyoshiro's eyes widened, "Really? Auntie Haruka went there too? No wonder she's super-smart! I'll definitely try to get in then!"_

"_Now that's the spirit! Ganbare, Kyoshiro-kun!"_

* * *

Keitaro smiled sadly as the memory ended, "I guess you could say I made a promise too…"

Before Naru could ask him to elaborate, the young man stretched and stood up, "We should get going, it's starting to get kinda chilly, and Shinobu-chan's probably started dinner already."

"Wait a second, who did you promise? What happened?" the young girl asked as she too got up from the cold ground. The landlord, however, kept silent even when she continued asking while they made their way to the campus exit. She paused, however, when she noticed Keitaro suddenly stop and stare at a discarded newspaper sitting on a bench, "What's that?"

Keitaro picked up the paper, his eyes zoned in on the front page article, "Naru…come take a look at this."

Her curiosity piqued, Naru walked over and looked at the headline, eyes widening as she read the first paragraph, "Whoa! Someone just found a TON of dirt on that Amagai Tachibana and gave it to the daily paper?! Isn't he the one that was killed a few months ago?"

Naru's questions failed to register in the avenger's head as he continued reading about the backroom deals, alleged black market ties, and more. During his perusal of Mikamura's hard drive, none of this information had come up.

'_Impressive…who could've found all of this? And how?' _Kyoshiro pondered, all while hiding a nasty smirk from Naru, _'Hah…I wonder what other demons you red-haired mutts are hiding from the world…'_

* * *

Riika Tachibana was currently cursing every deity she knew for the horrible fate of being born into the sub-branch of her 'family'.

The darkened shrubbery of the imperial gardens went by in a blur as she and her mother ran as fast as they could away from the sub-branch compound. Regardless of the fact that they were running barefoot, with several cuts from rocks and gravel, neither slowed in the slightest. To stop would mean death.

The mousy young girl thought back to the beginning of her misfortunes, when Minato and his family initially moved to Hinata. That first night, she had been humiliated when Ranmaru flipped her skirt up as she was serving dinner, and since that day, he'd hounded her relentlessly.

While she had done her best to endure in order not to worry her parents and younger brother, things took a turn for the worst when her father and brother disappeared a week and a half ago. No one had seen either of them after he'd gone to make repairs in the back of the compound, taking little Yusuke with him. What had followed were days of agonizing uncertainty, and a small pit of dread in her stomach that only grew as the days went on.

Only an hour ago, while most of the household was out celebrating Akisora's impeding admission to Tokyo U, Riika and her mother heard a knock at their door. Sensing something was wrong, the older of the two women slowly made her way over and cautiously opened the door. The bloodcurdling scream she let out as she saw what lay on her doorstep prompted Riika to run over to see what happened.

What she saw would fill her nightmares for the rest of her life.

Daichi Tachibana's head lay atop a bloody bag, the contents of which Riika had a ghastly suspicion, but refused to confirm. An expression of anguish and pain was frozen on his face. It took a moment before the shock wore off and the devastated daughter was able to notice that something was carved on Daichi's forehead. It was a single word.

RUN.

That message was what led Riika and her mother to grabbing a bag of only the barest essentials and fleeing for their lives, zigzagging all around the imperial gardens away from the palace, where the presence of their treacherous brethren would be at its highest.

"Keep going, Riika! Don't stop for even a moment!" her frightened mother called out from behind her, even as she began to falter. While Riika was fairly athletic due to all of the work she did in the compound, her mother had worked mainly as a chef, and did very little running around. This meant her stamina was nowhere near her daughter's; a fact that Riika was becoming too painfully aware of.

"That goes for you too, Mom! Hurry! We're almost to the edge of the grounds!" she called out, even though she knew very well that they were only still in the center section of the forest. Suddenly, the sound of something flying through the air caught Riika's ear, and the girl ducked. Looking back up, she saw a kunai embedded into a tree off to her right.

"Damn it! They found us!"

The two shifted direction and ran further east into the forested section of the gardens. After a short while, another kunai whizzed past them, forcing them to change direction again. This happened several times until finally the two burst into a small clearing with a single large tree. Due to her blind panic, Riika missed the low-hanging branch in her way, and smacked head-first into the protruding limb. Her mother quickly caught her before she could hit the ground, "Riika! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine mom," the frightened girl replied, rubbing the small welt on her forehead, "Don't worry about me, we have to keep going! They'll be on top of us any second!"

"You're right, let's-" the older woman's words were caught in her throat as she spotted something on the tree in her peripheral vision. Turning quickly towards the trunk, she was finally able to make out what caught her eye.

And promptly wished she hadn't.

"No…oh no…"

The woman let out a shrill cry of anguish that sent chills down Riika's spine. Her fright only escalated when her mother sank to her knees, tears running like rivers as she wailed to the night sky.

"MY BABY! MY SWEET BABY! BUDDHA, HOW COULD YOU BE SO CRUEL?! WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS?!"

Riika reached down and tried to pull her distraught parent to her feet, but her efforts proved futile, "Mom! What is it?!"

"Riika…they…they…" her mother could only point at the base of the tree, where Riika slowly turned her gaze to find the source of her mother's sorrow.

Tied to the base of the tree by several cords of rope, the body of little Yusuke drooped like a wilted flower. Three daggers were thrust into the boy's chest up to their hilts, crimson blood still dripping from their handles. Underneath the bangs of his shoulder-length hair, his eyes were wide open, and his mouth frozen in a small 'o'.

"No way…not him…" Riika fought desperately to remain composed, but seeing the abused corpse of her brother tore into her heart and rendered her unable to do any more but stand and take in the grisly scene.

In a fit of despair, her mother lifted her head to the sky and cried out, "BUDDHA YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD! JUST KILL ME NOW!"

"…as you wish."

Before either could react, a pair of dark clad arms suddenly burst from the leaves above and grabbed Riika's mother harshly by the shoulders before quickly hoisting her into the branches above.

"MOM!" Riika shrieked from her position on the grass. She could vaguely make out the sounds of struggle, of cloth being torn to shreds, and finally the sound of a blade piercing flesh multiple times, her mother's wails and howls of pain painting a macabre picture of the assault she was suffering. After several moments, the sounds suddenly died out, and the clearing was hauntingly quiet once again.

"…Mom? Mom?!" Riika cried out, desperate to hear something, ANYTHING that would signal that her mother was still alive. The sound of rustling leaves caught the young girl's attention and she whirled her eyes at a spot in the canopy where leaves started to rain down.

"…Mom?"

Riika screamed and fell back as something fell and hung from the branches. Her screams intensified as she saw her mother dangling upside down from the branches, the top of her kimono shredded to almost nothing, exposing her severely wounded torso and arms to the world. Rivulets of her life fluids drizzled onto the grass below.

Feebly, the mortally wounded woman lifted her gaze to her petrified daughter, "R-R-Rii…ka…"

"…Mom?"

"…r-r-ru-"

A dark clad arm plunged a kunai into the woman's chest, robbing her of her last words. The abrupt murder of her mother spurred Riika into a panic and she bolted from the clearing, tripping over branches and rocks in her flight.

She had only gone a few yards from where she left her mother when a stabbing pain from her leg brought her to the ground heavily, the impact busting open her lip.

"AAAAH! FUUUUUCKKK!"

Looking down, Riika saw yet another kunai embedded into the meat of her thigh. She attempted to pull it free, but simply touching the handle sent searing tendrils of pain through her body. As she gave up and prepared to crawl away, she was halted by the sound of steady footsteps approaching her.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a condescending voice rang out. Turning to peer behind her, Riika's heart dropped at the sight of Ranmaru, decked out in a full black skin-tight body suit and black flak jacket calmly making his way over to her. She eyed the kunai he was twirling on one finger warily.

"I gotta admit, you and your mom gave us one hell of a chase," the youngest triplet began, not even bothering to keep his guard up around his wounded prey, "I didn't think you two would actually fall for our little kunai trick to make you run to that clearing, but Rikimaru was right…that shit worked like clockwork."

Riika quickly tried to crawl away, but Ranmaru brutally stomped on the kunai in her leg, eliciting a piercing cry of agony from the wounded girl, "Hold on! You think I'm gonna let you cut and run after all the work I put in to catch ya? Learn your fucking place, branch trash!"

The malicious ninja roughly grabbed the front of the girl's kimono and slammed her back into a nearby tree, the force of the blow knocking the wind out of the cornered teen. Riika tried to pry the man's arm off her chest, but Ranmaru refused to let up, pushing her more into the rough bark.

"Please…Ranmaru-sama…let me go! What the fuck did we do to deserve this?!" she wailed while increasing her efforts to break free. Ranmaru replied by slamming her back into the bark, "What didja do? You personally…nothing really."

Riika was nearly caught off-guard by the casual admission, "Wha-?"

"Yep…you didn't do anything. Can't say the same about your pops and little bro though," Ranmaru answered with a nasty grin, "Ended up wandering into the forbidden wing by accident and ran into dad and Ichi-kun. It was an accident, but hey, rules are to be obeyed, and your daddy fucked up."

"No way…you…you _murdered_ my father and little brother…for _that?!_"

Ranmaru nodded, "'Fraid so. Gotta make an example of bottom-feeders like you guys that think they're above the rules made by people better than them…but first,"

The nefarious triplet twisted the girl around and pushed her face first into the tree, dazing her. Riika was barely cognizant enough to feel Ranmaru place her hands on top of one another on the bark, but she was forced back into reality when she felt the nerve-searing pain of a kunai being thrust thru both palms, staking her to the tree.

"AAAAAHHHH, FUCK!"

"Oh, we got us a potty mouth huh?" Ranmaru whispered into her ear, heedless of her screams, "that's fine…I like girls that talk dirty."

Through her pained sobs, Riika made one last plea, "…just get it over with and kill me…you fucking asshole…"

"So ungrateful…well, I'll still give you a goodbye present," Ranmaru scoffed, before tearing the bottom of Riika's kimono apart, exposing her to the elements, "Don't worry…I'll make it memorable…"

The battered girl didn't respond, having resigned herself to her fate. And for the last few moments of her life, through the pain of the kunai embedded in her, and the mortification she felt as Ranmaru repeatedly violated her over and over, Riika Tachibana cursed every deity she knew.

She cursed them until she could curse no more.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well...that happened.**

**I have to say in my downtime, the new reviews and follows have been unbelievable...in a good way! Some of you have given me some very good feedback and critiques that I promise to keep in mind as I move forward with this story. I'll do better with my Japanese terminology use as well (to whoever pointed out that fatal flaw with the name of Kyoshiro's style, THANK YOU. I took Japanese language two years ago, so I guess my rust is really showing _ ). **

**I'm going to attempt to keep the chapters shorter since the longer they get, the more rambly they become, and no one likes rambling. All in all, expect better improvements.**

**Now then, big shouts to my beta reader Cloud Link Zero for going over these chapters and being brutally honest with my fuck ups. Behind every good writer is a beta reader that won't let em get away with any bs and will push them to be better. He's also been feeding me some good ideas for later that I can't wait to get to. You guys'll love what's coming next...hopefully.**

**Anyway, I think I'll stop here before I ramble more (I gotta work on that). The Valentine's adventure is done, and you have a peek at the depravity of the Tachibana. Next up is the reveal of the test scores and the trip to Kyoto that I've honestly been DYING to write. I don't know when I'll have it out, but it's already in the works. If you've kept up with me until now and haven't been too put off by my mediocre writing skills or long pauses between releases, then thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you keep reading. I promise you, this is one ride you'll never forget.**

**Ciph signin off**


	9. Lost and Found

**Chapter 8 – Lost and Found**

The sound of leaves and twigs crunching under heavy footsteps echoed throughout the forest hauntingly, a chilling noise to go with the ambiance of the night. The figure shrouded in shadow continued onwards, doing their best to avoid any sentries they might encounter in the imperial gardens in Tokyo. A ray of moonlight revealed the figure to be Kimiko Tachibana, who was burdened with two large black bags. After taking a quick look around, she sighed and gently placed the bags on the ground against one of the many trees surrounding her.

"Damnit…talk about a downgrade. From Imperial Assassin to clean-up duty," the lovely woman sighed as she sat next to one of the bags herself. She looked up into the darkened canopy above, and was barely able to make out the stars that dotted the twilight sky. Glancing next to her, Kimiko saw that the zipper of the bag next to her had slightly come undone. She slowly moved to fix it, but suddenly stopped to stare at the contents inside.

"Heh…look at me bitching like a child…when it was you that suffered the most," she whispered sadly as she gently caressed the cold cheek of the deceased Riika Tachibana, the girl's eyes closed in an eternal expression of pain, "If only I arrived sooner…"

As she continued to rub her hand over the scratched skin of the former sub-branch servant, Kimiko reflected on how she had found the girl and her mother, and the results of the horrors inflicted upon them.

* * *

"_Are you quite fucking finished, you sick bastard?!"_

_Ranmaru stopped thrusting into his thoroughly abused victim and looked up into the trees to see Kimiko staring down at him in disgust, midnight blue eyes ablaze in silent fury, "Oh…it's you. What the hell do you want?"_

"_I'm pretty sure your father told you to just kill them, NOT go this far," Kimiko whispered, holding back every urge to murder the boy below her. Ranmaru narrowed his eyes at her before scoffing, "Heh…goes to show how much you know my old man. This ain't the first time we've had a 'hunt', ya know."_

_Kimiko fumed silently, "Well, don't you think you've made her suffer enough? Do you really feel nothing for what you've done?"_

_Ranmaru replied by thrusting a few more times into Riika before relieving himself and pulling out, "Eh, I was just about done anyway. She stopped screaming a while ago."_

_The older assassin jumped down from the tree just as Ranmaru removed the kunai from Riika's hands. Before the girl could fall to the ground, the youngest triplet grabbed her by the hair and mercilessly slit her throat. He watched with a smug grin as Riika's life fluids spilt all over the forest floor, then unceremoniously dropped her to the ground, "There, happy now bitch? You can go ahead and clean up this mess. I'm gonna go meet up with Rikimaru."_

_Kimiko stood silently as Ranmaru adjusted his pants, and remained composed as he walked past her without a care in the world, unaware of her nails drawing blood from her palms due to her tightening fists..._

* * *

She didn't have to go far to find what remained of Riika's mother. Much like Ranmaru, Rikimaru had taken several liberties with the older woman before finally ending her life. Kimiko brought the servant's cold body to where she left Riika, and did her best to clean up both of them as much as possible. The assassin had then run to one of her private getaways in the forest to retrieve the two body bags that both women now rested in. Noticing that the sky was beginning to lighten, Kimiko placed a gentle kiss on Riika's forehead before closing the bag and hoisting it and the other on her shoulders. She had quite a distance to go before she reached her destination, and she could not afford to be seen by any Imperial Guard sentries, lest they relay her activities back to Minato or Heihachi.

As she trudged on, Kimiko mulled over the current state of the sub-branch and the increased hostility they had begun to face ever since Minato had moved to Tokyo, _'I thought Heihachi spoke with those beasts a long time ago about pulling shit like this…guess he wasn't as strict as I thought he'd be…'_

Kimiko dug into her pocket and sent off a quick message on her cell before adjusting the bags on her shoulders again and setting off, all the while suppressing the urge to stab someone. Atrocities such as this always sparked bad memories, which in turn spurred her bloodlust into action. She quickly realized she would need some…assistance, to tame the wildfire of emotion roiling in her chest.

'_Ara…i know he hates it when I visit more than once a week, but hopefully he makes an exception,'_ she thought as she leapt from tree to tree, _' In some ways he's both better and worse than the __**boya**__'_

* * *

"Gaaaaanbareeee! Gaaaaaaanbareeeee! Taro-chan! Naru-chan! Gaaaaaaaaaanbareeeee!"

Keitaro facepalmed as he and Naru came down the stairs to the lobby, slightly embarrassed at the sight of Kitsune and Suu furiously waving large banners saying "Future Tokyo U Grads!" and "Best Luck!", while Shinobu and Motoko waved much smaller flags in each hand. It was the second week of March, the day that the results for the Tokyo U exam would be posted outside its main campus. Both aspiring students had agreed to head to the university together, but they hadn't expected the sendoff.

"Ahaa…thanks, Oni-Kitsune, everyone" Keitaro mumbled, patting the sly fox woman's shoulder as he went to go put on his shoes. Shinobu slowly approached the kneeling landlord, her hands folded together in front of her, "I-I'm sure you and N-Naru-sempai did just f-fine. I-I believe in you both!"

Keitaro grinned at the younger girl, causing a huge blush to come over her face, "Thanks Shinobu-chan, I'm sure I did fine…not so sure about Naru-san, though."

Keitaro quickly ducked an incoming fist from Naru, who shot a frustrated glare at him. During the past few days, the bespectacled beauty had been worrying herself sick over the outcome of the exam, while the landlord had remained absolutely nonchalant about the whole thing. The contrast had created several humorous moments at the dorm, which usually resulted in Naru trying (and failing miserably) to punch the older man. Needless to say, she hadn't been too happy a camper.

"Well excuse me for being worried about the single most important exam in our lives, you ass!" she screeched before huffing and pulling on her boots. Motoko shook her head at the spectacle, "I'm sure you have no need to worry, Naru-sempai. You have been more than diligent with your studies, and not once did you falter on your path. You will definitely be rewarded for your dedication," she glanced over at Keitaro, who was chatting with Suu about one of her insane projects, "as well as your patience in dealing with _him_…"

"Eh, he really wasn't all _that _bad, Motoko-chan, despite how he acts around us sometimes," Naru defended, the slightly angry expression giving way to a small smile as she too looked over at the landlord, "actually, seeing him so calm about this kinda calms me down a bit. It's…comforting. Just don't tell him I said that though. The last thing that idiot needs is an ego boost."

Motoko let out a rare giggle, "Your secret is safe with me. In any case, you two should probably get going."

"Oh! Oh! Suu can get them there in a flash with Mecha-Tama Tank Mk II!" the hyperactive foreigner jumped excitedly. However, Keitaro was quick to diffuse the potentially lethal situation, "T-that's ok Suu, don't worry! Naru and I can just take the trolley. Besides, don't you still have to test the hyper-drive first?"

Suu quickly calmed down, "Oh…Suu forgot about that. Sowwies!"

Naru sighed, "It's ok Suu. We can try it out next time. See you later, everyone!"

With one last wave, the two headed down the staircase towards the main road. As they passed the tea shop, Haruka exited and waved at the two, "Yo. Heading to see the results?"

"Yep," Keitaro responded as he and Naru walked over to the tea shop owner, "We should be back later this afternoon, so keep a fresh pot out for us, ok?"

"You got it," Haruka promised as she gave her adopted nephew/cousin a quick hug, repeating the process with Naru, "Now get goin before you're late."

Keitaro laughed and waved before he and Naru continued their trek to the trolley. As they vanished into the distance, Haruka smiled at their backs.

'_Go get em, you two.'_

* * *

After a quick ride on the trolley, Keitaro and Naru soon found themselves at the entrance to the Komaba campus of Tokyo U. The entire area was filled with eager exam takers and their families who had accompanied them for support. Closer to where the result postings were, the two students could make out the faint sound of cheering, most likely coming from those who had successfully found their names.

"Well…this is it," Naru said nervously as she strode alongside Keitaro towards the bulletin boards. On her way she spotted some of the few unfortunate to have not located their name and exam ID numbers on the list, "…I really wish I hadn't seen that…"

"You're worrying too much, Naru, I'm sure you did fine," Keitaro assured her, gently gripping her shoulder to provide encouragement, "as someone who studied way longer and way more than I did, you should be the last person to be nervous."

Naru leaned into her friend's side, enjoying the attention and uplifting words, "Yea, I guess so. You're going to be further down the list, right? I'll catch up to you once I find my results."

"Gotcha," Keitaro suddenly pulled the lovely girl into a hug. Shocked at the gesture, Naru slowly returned the embrace, loving the warmth coming from the landlord, "W-What's this for? You idiot we're in public!" she hissed into his ear.

"For luck," he whispered, sending tingles down Naru's spine as his breath brushed over her ears, "Let me know which program you plan on going into later."

The girl nodded before separating from him and watching him head to find his results. When he was absorbed by the crowd, Naru pumped her fist, "Alright! Let's do this!"

Meanwhile, Keitaro maneuvered his way around the many people clogging up the path. On the way, he noticed several students throwing someone up into the air screaming "Banzai!," in celebration of his passing, while a few more students walked off dejectedly with their parents doing their best to console them about their failure.

"And here I thought Naru was taking this too seriously," the landlord said to himself as he continued to make his way over to find his results. After several more moments, Keitaro finally found the board with last names starting with 'T'. Going down the list, he found the beginning of names with the letter 'U'.

'_Hmm…if I made it, then my name should be closer to the bottom,'_ he thought as he scanned down the list. It only took a second to spot his name, fourth from the bottom. For a moment, he didn't know what to feel. He had been fairly confident he did well, but the experience of actually seeing his name on the list shocked him, until finally a bittersweet happiness burst forth from his chest.

"Heh…how about that…I made it," Keitaro whispered before closing his eyes, wiping away a tear that had managed to break free, "I made it Dad…just like you thought I would…"

"You made it too? Congratulations, man!"

Hearing the praise behind him, Keitaro turned to face the person, "Thanks! Congrats to you too-"

Keitaro's heart nearly stopped when he finally saw who it was that had congratulated him. Long red hair that fell like a river to his lower back. Golden amber eyes that sparkled in the morning sunlight. A large purple and gold _haori_ with the kanji for "Imperial Guardian" stamped on the back, along with flowing tassels tied to his upper arms. Red and black gi and hakama with the clan symbol on the chest.

'_No…fucking…way…'_ the landlord paused before taking a discrete closer look, _'Wait…the eyes are shaped different…it's not __**him**__…'_

"Hey, you ok?" the younger boy asked concernedly as Keitaro continued to stare openly at the man that resembled his family's murderer so closely. Shaking his head to regain his composure, the landlord chuckled, "Sorry about that. You kind of reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago."

Akisora Tachibana smiled back, "Eh, I get that a lot. Probably because of my aniki. But anyway, congrats on passing, Urashima-san."

"Thank you very much," Keitaro replied, holding a hand out to the red haired man, "I apologize, but I don't think I caught your name."

"Akisora Tachibana," the young man replied as he cheerfully shook Keitaro's hand, "My bad, I should've introduced myself before just randomly congratulating you. Guess I just got caught up in the moment."

Keitaro laughed off the apology, "Hey, I understand completely. It's definitely something to be proud of. Are you here with anyone?"

Akisora nodded, "Yea, as a matter of fact my cousins should be over any second now-"

"Yo! Sora-nii!"

The two quickly turned to the left to spot three boys, triplets Keitaro noticed, walking towards them. Their gait was confident and almost imposing, the people in the crowd parting once they saw the colors and sigils of the Imperial Guardians on the boys' clothes.

"Hey Ran, Riki, Ichi," Akisora greeted as he fully faced the three. Keitaro opted to remain back and assess his would-be targets from behind the older Tachibana, _'So…these are the three, huh?'_

"So you found your name after all, huh cuz?" Ichimaru asked with a small grin. Seeing Akisora nod, both he and Rikimaru clapped the older man on the shoulders, "Nice! Congrats Sora-nii!"

Ranmaru leapt in the air, unable to contain his own excitement, "Awesome! Dude, we have to celebrate! I'll call _Tensai_ and tell them to set something up ASAP!"

"If it won't be too much trouble," Akisora replied as he began to be pulled away by his younger cousins. He turned back to Keitaro apologetically, "Sorry, seems these guys are all revved up. I guess we'll talk more at the opening ceremony?"

Keitaro nodded, "Yea…sure thing. I'll cya then."

Akisora nodded before letting the triplets take him away from the crowd, along with a hidden contingent of guards that the landlord was only now able to make out. Keitaro let out a slow breath of relief, finally able to somewhat lessen his inner restraints. It had taken everything in him to avoid lashing out and slaughtering the four Tachibana where they stood.

'_That was close…too close. I didn't think the Ryuketsu would act up so badly,'_ he thought as he stared at the direction his impending victims had gone, _'actually, this would probably be the best chance I'll get to observe them more. Their guard would be down enough to get some good recon…'_

Just as he was about to follow, something bumped into him from behind. Turning quickly, Keitaro was just able to make out someone running haphazardly through the crowd, tears streaming from their eyes, "What the hell was that?"

Right before the person left his sight, the landlord spotted the figure's long hair, and the glint of sunlight off what would appear to be a pair of glasses.

'_Hold on…was that…Naru-san?'_

For a moment, the avenger was torn: he could either follow Akisora and the triplets and gain some valuable intel, or he could go after his friend and figure out what had her so distraught.

'_Dammit…a chance at recon like this probably won't happen again…but why does seeing Naru in pain feel so…off-putting?'_ he hesitated for a moment longer, his interests clashing mercilessly in his mind and heart, _'…screw it! I have Kimiko for intel.'_

His decision made, Keitaro quickly augmented his body with ki before dashing around the crowd and following the distressed girl. It barely took him two minutes to navigate through the sea of people and cut Naru off, ending up with the girl crashing into his chest. Only his grip on Naru's shoulders prevented her from falling back onto the ground.

"Naru-san? What is it? What's wrong?" Keitaro asked worriedly. Never before had he seen the girl so torn up about something. Naru took a moment to figure just who, or _what_, she had smashed into. Once she saw the landlord's face, whatever resistance she built against letting her anguish free died, and she crumbled into his arms, gripping the boy's _haori_ in her hands. Keitaro quickly knelt to the ground when he felt the strength in his friend's legs disappear. Holding her close, he heard Naru mumble something about exam results.

'_No way…she couldn't have…not her of all people…'_

* * *

Keitaro watched on with wide-eyed astonishment as Naru downed a full mug of draft beer in a single go, before slamming the mug down on the table, "Excuse me! Another one please!"

After settling the girl down a bit, the landlord offered to take her to the nearest café to grab drinks and give her time to vent. Naru didn't even resist the offer, and before long, the two found themselves sitting at a small café only blocks away from the Komaba campus. In the ten minutes they'd been there, the lovely brunette had already finished off two beers and a glass of wine.

"Uhh…maybe you should slow down a bit on the alcohol, Naru-san," Keitaro advised meekly, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture when his friend glared at him, "I'm just saying…I mean we ARE underage and all…"

"Don't be a killjoy," the intoxicated girl grumbled, before picking up the menu and waiving down a waiter, "Pardon me, but could you bring all the appetizers on this menu?"

Keitaro facepalmed, "Yea, looks like I'm picking up the tab for this one," he whispered before looking over at his friend, "So how're you holding up? Feel any better?"

At first, he received no reply. After a few silent moments, she sank into her arms on the table, folding them under her chin, "Two years…two damn years…all I did was study as hard as I could for this stupid exam…"

Keitaro leaned back further into the seat as he lent the girl an ear, "Yea, I remember. It was impossible for anyone to get you to come to any events or do anything social. Hell, the only reason we even became friends was because you and I studied so much."

"That was probably the only positive thing that came out of all this, sad as that sounds," the bummed out girl sighed, "I never went to dances, never hung out with any of the other girls…I didn't even have a boyfriend. I was a total loser…though not as bad as _you_ according to all the rumors that went around,"

"I wouldn't say all of that," the Mononobe heir reassured, "You just had different priorities. It may have caused you to miss out on doing stuff regular high school kids did, but you were trying to prepare for the future. Being lazy and going to events and stuff is overrated anyway. As for all those rumors, did I really make it a secret that I wasn't a people person? Besides, the gossip of high schoolers is inconsequential in the long run."

For the first time since they arrived, Naru let out a chuckle, though a somewhat humorless one, "Hah…I guess you would know, wouldn't you?" she looked up at glanced at the relaxed young man, "So how did you do? I'll bet you probably passed with flying colors."

Keitaro didn't even hesitate with his answer, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I didn't make it either."

His admission was enough to make Naru spring up from her position on the table and stare at him in abject shock, "What?! You failed too!? How?"

"Same way you did, I imagine. I mean we did study the same material," the landlord continued, the lie slipping from his tongue with seemingly-practiced ease, "There were a couple sections of the exam that weren't covered in our studies. I remember you complained about them right after we finished, so it was probably those questions that messed us up."

Naru let out a sigh as she joined Keitaro in leaning back into the seat, "Wow…to be honest, I don't feel that bad about failing anymore. If you of all people didn't pass, then I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of passing."

"What the hell are you talking about?! You're wayyy smarter than me," Keitaro complimented, unable to figure how Naru thought he was the smarter of the two, "Hell, it was because of you that I even started hitting the books more seriously in the first place."

"But you always scored near perfect on the cram school exams," Naru countered, grinning somewhat when she saw the landlord huff and turn his head away, "If that doesn't scream genius, then I don't know what does."

Right as Keitaro was about to argue back, a buzzing sound went off in his pocket. Pulling out his phone, he glanced at the caller id, and almost choked when he saw the initials "KT" flashing on the screen.

"Excuse me a second, I have to go take this," he apologized. Naru waved him off dismissively, "I'm not going anywhere."

Keitaro shot her one last smile before going to a more private section of the café, leaving the brunette to mull over the day's events once again. Before she could get too deep into her thoughts, another voice called out to her.

"Narusegawa-san? Is that you?"

Looking to the side, Naru saw an older gentleman with short black hair and a stubbly beard headed her way. It only took a moment before she remembered who he was, "Matsumoto-sensei?"

Matsumoto grinned, "The one and only! Fancy meeting you here, I guess all the kids came here to celebrate passing, huh?"

Naru instantly lost her smile, and her depressed aura returned with a vengeance, "N-not all of us…"

The high school teacher recoiled a bit, regretting his choice of words, "Oh…I see. I'm really sorry to hear that. Especially after you worked so hard."

"I-It's ok…really," the saddened girl tried to smile, though the expression didn't match her eyes, "Besides, t-there's always next year, right?"

"That's right. You were probably caught off guard this time, so I'm sure next year you'll get much better results!" Matsumoto reassured, "Oh, I was wondering if you might have seen Urashima-kun anywhere?"

Naru nodded, "Keitaro-san was here a second ago, but he left for a bit to take a phone call."

"Darn it! I'd stay if I wasn't in a rush, but, well…responsibilities and all," Matsumoto joked, "It's nothing serious, I just wanted to congratulate him on passing the entrance exam with such a high score."

"….what?"

Matsumoto looked at Naru in slight shock, "You didn't know? I thought the two of you were best friends? Urashima-kun passed the Tokyo U exam with the second highest grade! He actually tied with one of the Imperial Guardians."

The brunette couldn't believe what she was hearing, only minutes after Keitaro himself had told her he failed the exam, "You gotta be kidding me…"

"Hold on, I'll bring up the score results now," Matsumoto dug into his pockets and took out his phone, immediately scrolling down the webpage he'd saved the results on. When he reached Keitaro's scores, he held the phone down to let the confused girl take a look, "See for yourself. Both he and Tachibana-san were only a few points below this year's top scorer."

Naru read over the numbers several times, disbelief beginning to ebb away in place of confusion and anger, "How….how could he…"

Matsumoto noticed the girl beginning to shake, "Narusegawa-san? Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Naru didn't answer the man's inquiry, her mind in a jumble as a flood of negative emotions surged into her chest. She could only focus on one thought through the tsunami of hurt that crashed within her chest.

'_Why…why did he lie to me?'_

* * *

"Dammit, I have to have a talk with that woman about the timing of her calls," Keitaro grumbled as he walked back to where he'd left Naru in the café. Kimiko had given him a call to congratulate him on both succeeding in his entrance exam and for getting so close to Akisora.

"I didn't think I left such an impression on the brat," the avenger grumbled just as his table came into view. Taking a glance at his friend, Keitaro noticed something seemed a little off. Naru's head was tilted down, her long brown hair covering her eyes. Her phone was also lying on the table with its web browser open to a page the young man couldn't see clearly.

"Hey Naru-san, sorry for taking so long. That call took forever," he began, but paused when he saw the girl's shoulders begin shaking, "…Naru-san? What's wrong?"

"…Why?"

Something about the tremble in the young woman's voice sent a tendril of fear down Keitaro's spine, "Uh…why what?"

His eyes glanced down at the phone on the table again. Since he was closer, he was able to make out the website in the browser. The landlord froze stiff as he read the entrance exam scores, more specifically, _his_ entrance exam scores. The fact that they were tied for second highest with someone else did not help the feeling of his stomach dropping into a bottomless pit in the slightest.

"Your exam scores…" Naru began haltingly, her head slowly rising to reveal pain filled eyes and an expression of sheer fury on her normally lovely face, "Why did you LIE to me?!"

For the first time since he was a child, Keitaro was afraid. He could feel the disappointment, the confusion, and the sheer level of _hurt_ coming from Naru like a tangible miasma. His chest constricted and for a moment he almost forgot how to breathe. Doing his best not to flinch away from the accusatory stare he was receiving, the landlord slowly began to reply.

"…Naru-san…I can explain-"

"I can't believe you…I can't fucking believe you," the enraged girl shook her head as if to dispel any denial she may have had that the webpage was wrong, "You just sat here…told me to my FACE that you failed too…I bet it was hilarious wasn't it? Seeing me feel relieved, saying I was smarter than you…just one big joke…"

Keitaro made a move towards her as she stood up quickly, "No! It's not like that! Listen to me for one secon-"

"FUCK YOU! I HATE YOU!" Keitaro never saw Naru's closed fist swing towards him, so focused he was on doing something, _anything_ to explain the reason he did what he did. The punch echoed throughout the entire café, drawing the attention of every patron and waitress around. The force of the blow was enough to throw Keitaro's head to the side, though not enough to knock him off his feet**, **surprising as that was. His eyes widened in shock, blinking a few times as he slowly turned his head back to face the distraught girl.

Naru herself looked at her outstretched fist in complete disbelief, as if she didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late. She slowly looked up at Keitaro, nearly flinching when she saw the angry red bruise forming on his cheek, and the small trickle of blood streaming down from the corner of his mouth...and along her knuckles.

'_What the…what did I do?! I didn't mean...my hand just…oh no, he's totally going to hate me now!'_

Unable to face her guilt at what she'd done, Naru quickly grabbed her bag and bolted from the café, Keitaro taking a moment to recover himself before following behind her, "Naru-san! Wait!"

The girl only sped up, and within seconds, Keitaro lost her in the crowd with no sign as to which way she'd gone.

"Dammit!" he punched the wall beside him, not noticing the small crater in the wall or even caring about scraping the skin of his knuckles. He quickly took out his phone and began punching in the number for Nagareboshi's tech division.

'_I hope I'm not too late…I know they usually leave around now,'_ Keitaro thought as he waited a few moments before someone picked up, "Hey, it's me. I need you to do me a favor…"

* * *

"And the youngest son returns, triumphant. Well done, my boy!" Heihachi praised as he embraced Akisora in the entrance hall of the main compound. Kurotora, who had returned on break from his studies, stood off to the side with a proud smile.

"Thanks Otou-sama," the young boy blushed slightly as he stepped back, only to be pulled into a one-armed hug from his older brother, "To be honest, I had a couple close calls. I didn't think I'd score that high though."

Kurotora shook his head amusedly, "Please, you always doubt yourself when push comes to shove, even though you end up kicking ass anyway. And speaking of ass-kicking, tying for second highest score in the country? That's a pretty big deal, otouto. You realize you have bragging rights for life, right?"

"Maybe, but it was a tie," Akisora mumbled, but still remained cheerful, "I met the guy I tied with. He was your age, I think."

"You can tell us more about him and your experience while we walk, I wanted to take a stroll through the gardens today while we have some warmth outside," Heihachi interrupted as he gently pushed his two boys in the direction of the entrance to the gardens. Before long, the three found themselves in the midst of the foliage, surrounded by the budding trees pines. Taking a deep breath, Akisora savored the scent of nature around him, "I can't tell you how happy I am that this exam business is over. Now I can get back to training. I don't even want to imagine how rusty I've gotten."

Heihachi chuckled, "I'm sure you won't be as bad as you think you are. You've always been a quick study. Just take it one day at a time and you should be just fine."

"I guess," Akisora replied, before pausing after seeing something odd, "Hey, what are those guys doing over there?"

Looking over to what grabbed the younger man's attention, Heihachi and Kurotora noticed a small group of sub-branch servants gathered around a single tree in a large clearing. A few broke off and walked solemnly over to another tree only a few feet away and knelt, prayer beads in their hands. The Tachibana clan head narrowed his eyes, "Hmm…I see your cousins were successful with their 'hunt'. These servants are probably praying for the souls of the executed trash."

Akisora frowned, "A 'hunt'? I thought you said they weren't allowed to do that while still on Imperial grounds?"

"They weren't, but there wasn't much choice this time around," Heihachi responded, scratching the back of his head, "A sub-branch member and his son wandered into the forbidden wing in Minato's compound. They were taken care of on the spot, but a message had to be sent to the rest of those swine. The remainder of that man's family was killed the same night we took you out after your exam."

"Kind of late for last rites then, isn't it?"

"They've been kept rather busy the past several days, so I guess this was the soonest they could 'honor' their dead," Heihachi spat on the ground in disgust, "Pathetic. Those who can't follow simple rules are lower than dirt."

Having seen enough of the lowly and humbled sub-branch members' attempts to pray for their dead, Kurotora yelled, "HEY! BRANCH TRASH! GET BACK TO FUCKING WORK! UNLESS YOU WANNA GET PUT IN THE GROUND NEXT!"

Within seconds, the group of sub-branch Tachibana dispersed in a panic, none of them wishing to incur the wrath of the clan heir. Kurotora watched with a sickening grin as a few tripped over some protruding roots in the ground in their haste to get away, "And that…is how you handle the dregs."

"If you say so," Akisora sighed. While his brother, cousins, and even his elders never missed an opportunity to harass and torture the sub-branch, the new Tokyo U student rarely, if ever, treated them negatively. It was a slight point of contention between him and the rest of his family, though it was rarely brought up.

"You should take notes from him, Sora," Heihachi joked before feeling a buzz from inside his gi. Pulling out his smart phone, the clan head answered, "Yes? …what do you mean nothing was found? …Very well. I'll come see for myself."

The two boys gave their father a worried glance when he angrily shut his phone. Kurotora decided to ask the obvious, "Everything ok, Tou-san?"

The clan head grumbled, "I wish. Unfortunately, I have to return to Hakodate. It seems that this scandal refuses to die. I apologize, Sora. I wish I could stay behind to celebrate with you and the rest of the family, but this matter must be resolved before it becomes untenable."

"It's cool, Otou-sama. Do what you have to do," Akisora replied, earning a thankful smile from his father. He then turned to his older brother, "What are you going to do, aniki?"

"I think I'll go with Tou-san," Kurotora said as he adjusted his robes and _Juuchi Yosamu_ on his hip, "It'll be good practice in regards to handling clan affairs. Plus, he could probably use the help."

Heihachi nodded gratefully, "You've got that right. In that case, Akisora, you and Minato will be in charge of making sure things keep running smoothly in Tokyo and the surrounding towns. Keep an eye out for any strange happenings. And of course…be careful. Those assassins are still out there afterall."

Akisora nodded slowly, "Understood, Otou-sama. Both of you take care."

"We will. Ja ne," Kurotora waved as he and his father turned to leave the gardens. Before he left earshot, Heihachi turned back to say one last thing, "Oh, and Sora! Make sure your cousins stay out of trouble! Keep a close eye on them as well!"

The youngest son laughed, but nodded, "Will do!"

As he watched the two leave, Akisora sighed and walked further into the imperial gardens, intent on enjoying the environment as long as he could. His father's last request continued to bounce around in his head, causing the young boy's eyes to narrow in contemplation.

'_Eh…I'm sure they got all the mischief out of their systems a week or so ago when they had their hunt. After all that, how much more trouble can they be?'_

* * *

Within a darkened apartment deep in the heart of downtown Tokyo, the menace that currently plagued the Tachibana clan was hard at work, multiple computer displays showing hundreds of files, discarded e-mails, images, video, and more that were currently being downloaded from almost every electronic device the clan owned.

The virus implemented for this daunting task required a lot of upkeep and observation, thus the sound of fingers constantly clicking on several keyboards echoed throughout the small, but cozy home for one. Tired, but determined eyes read over every detail, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the information might seem. Anything that could be used against the corrupt clan had to be taken into consideration.

The mysterious figure paused as he found more reports regarding the past assassinations of the Tachibana Pillars. He smirked for a moment, thanking Kami above for the individual(s) who had taken it upon themselves to rid the world of those monsters, but deep down, he knew it wouldn't be enough. In order for the Tachibana to _truly _be brought down, they had to be utterly _ruined_. To the point that those born centuries after they were gone would spit on their graves in disgust.

Hence his reason for starting an information war, getting all of his pieces in place to begin stealing every dirty secret the Tachibana tried to bury. Fortunately for him, they weren't all that good at wiping away their digital footsteps.

"Heh...guess they're taking a trip up north," he said to himself as he observed video feed of Heihachi and Kurotora getting into a limo to leave the compound, "You red-headed bastards should focus more on cleaning up your digital laundry in your own backyard instead of making things easier for me..."

His moment of surveillance was interrupted when a pair of lithe arms circled around from behind and hugged his chest, while long crimson locks of hair tumbled in front of his face, blocking his view of the monitors.

"_Mou~…._it's rude to let a woman into your home and not tend to her needs, you know..."

The hacker sighed as he glanced over to face the troublemaker that had infiltrated his home yet again. He could never figure how she did it, but every time she asked to drop by, he could never find in in him to decline her.

Maybe it had something to do with what was pressing into his back.

"Can't even let me enjoy myself for one minute, can you?" he asked, taking a brief look at another set of files being stolen from Amagai Tachibana's back-up drives...the ones that _hadn't _been disconnected just yet.

"Hmm…I _guess _I could…but why do that when I could help you celebrate in a more..._entertaining_ way?" she whispered, pressing her generous naked bust even further against his back to emphasize her point.

"Entertaining as in you finally kill me like you were ordered to? Or entertaining as in-"

The hacker was cut off by a smoldering kiss from the woman behind him, "I thought I told you already...you're far more interesting to me alive than dead. Besides, you're not the only one that wants to see that clan burn for all they've done. Hell, the _gaki _I told you about outdoes you in the vengeance-seeking department."

"...well when you put it _that_ way," the hacker smiled slightly as he shut off the monitors for the time being, "guess I can call it a night for now. So...you were saying something about entertaining me, Kimi-koi?"

Kimiko giggled before pulling the hacker with her into the bedroom. Soon after, the sounds of pleasured moans and cries of ecstacy filled the apartment long into the night.

* * *

"YOU'RE ON A TRAIN TO KYOTO?!" Kitsune's voice screeched into Naru's ear over her smart phone, making the girl cringe slightly, "What happened?!"

The brown-haired girl shrunk further into her seat on the train, idly watching the scenery pass her by as she replied, "I…I didn't pass the exam. And I don't feel like I can face anyone right now. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys before I left, but I just need some time to think."

"But this is what friends are supposed tah be for! Comfortin in times of pain!" the foxy woman argued, "Matter of fact, where's Taro-chan? Wasn't he with you?"

A pained expression came over Naru's face, the mention of her friend bringing back memories of what he'd done, and what she had done in retaliation, "…I…I don't know where he is. We…kind of had a fight…"

"YOU FOUGHT WITH HIM?!"

"It was just a really bad argument…and I took out my frustrations on him," she decided not to tell her friend that Keitaro had lied about not passing his exam. Until she found out for herself why he hadn't been truthful, Naru refused to compromise him. ESPECIALLY after striking him the way she did, _'I didn't even give him a chance to explain…but it just hurt so much that he lied to me…why does it hurt so bad?'_

"Now that just sounds like more of a reason why you need to be with people right now, Naru!" Kitsune fought back, "Hold on, I'm gonna get me a ticket and meet ya out there right now! Who's with me?"

Naru blanched, her mind already coming up with images of what it would be like if her friends at the dorm tried to follow her, "You're not going anywhere! ANY of you! I just need some time to think things over! I'll see you when I get back!"

"But Naru-" Kitsune's voice cut off abruptly as Naru hung up, the girl sighing in relief as she continued to gaze out of the window aimlessly.

After bolting from the café, Naru quickly decided she didn't want to see anyone at the dorms. The looks of pity after hearing that she had failed would have been too much. Using the cash she had on her, she had gotten a cab to her home. Luckily no one was around, so the new ronin was able to pack and gather more funds from her home safe for a week and a half long trip of healing. It was only after getting on the _shinkansen_ that she had decided to call the dorm and let the girls know she was ok.

However, what continued to plague her was her last meeting with Keitaro. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the fiery girl realized it was the first time ever that she had landed a blow on him. Naru couldn't find it in herself to feel proud of that due to the circumstances.

"I shouldn't have hit him," she whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, "I'll have to apologize to him when I get back…and then find out why he lied to me."

* * *

About an hour after she'd ended her call with Kitsune, Naru arrived at Kyotoshiyakusho-Mae station. Uncaring of her destination, the dazed young woman let her feet guide her through the bustling streets of Kyoto, passing the many traditional looking buildings and trees that had begun to bud. After a half hour, she found herself standing at a banister at Kiyomizu-dera, taking in the beautiful view of the city. It was close to late afternoon by this point, so the sun was beginning to set, painting a slight orange hue into the sky.

This was all lost on Naru, however, as the girl was absorbed in her thoughts, _'Well…I'm here. So what now? I didn't really plan this whole thing out too well...'_

So focused on her mental musings, the lovely young woman didn't realize when someone had come up next to her and leaned forward on the banister to admire the scenery, "Huh…gotta admit, I didn't think you'd come here of all places…the view is pretty nice though."

"I guess so," Naru answered absently, before abruptly turning to face the person that had intruded on her alone time, "Wait….Keitaro-san?!"

Keitaro gave her a small, apologetic smile, "The one and only. It was a miracle that I managed to get on the same train as you. I thought I'd have to wait for the next one."

The beautiful brunette was bombarded by emotions, ranging from surprise, regret, mortification, and more. Unable to take it, Naru turned and tried to run, but the landlord grasped her by the wrist gently before she could get far, "Naru-san, wait! Please!"

"…let go of me…" the level of hurt in her voice stabbed at Keitaro's heart, but he would not budge, "I will…after you hear me out."

"There's nothing to hear…you lied to me, I…I _**punched **_you…and somehow you found me here, which is REALLY creepy by the way," the troubled woman countered, trying again to flee the area, "and now you hate me, and probably wanna get even…"

Keitaro sighed, somewhat amazed at her imagination, "Naru-san…if I hated you for what you did, I wouldn't have come all this way looking for you," the tenderness in his voice calmed the panicking girl, ceasing her attempts to run for the moment, "I'm going to let go of your wrist now. Are you still going to try and bolt?"

Naru shook her head slowly, keeping her promise as Keitaro released his grip on her, "Why did you come here?"

"…To apologize…and explain."

The still shaken girl slowly turned around to face her friend, her eyes still red from unshed tears, "Apologize…heh...I should be doing that too."

"For hitting me? That was a normal reaction, I don't blame you in the slightest," the landlord smiled as he rubbed the still reddened spot on his cheek, "It proved my hypothesis right though, you have a hell of a lot of power in those arms."

Naru fought the urge to giggle at his observation, opting to walk over to the banister overlooking the city. Keitaro stared at her back for a moment, unconsciously admiring the way the wind was playing with her hair and the long skirt she wore. After a few moments of silence, Naru spoke up, "Keitaro-san…why did you lie to me?"

Sighing to himself, Keitaro walked over to lean on the railing, keeping several feet between himself and his friend, "Because…I don't intend to go anymore."

Naru quickly looked over to face the young man, a perplexed expression on her face, "What? What do you mean?"

Keitaro smiled mirthlessly as he looked out into the forest below, "You want to know something funny? Despite making that promise all those years ago, despite Granny Hina and Haru pushing me, I really didn't intend on attending Tokyo U at all."

The landlord shifted a bit to get comfortable as he continued, "Naru-san…I'm not normal by any stretch of the imagination. I have goals and duties that most people could never fathom," his expression darkened as he thought of his _Tenchuu_, "and in order to meet those goals, I could never let myself be distracted by _anything_, least of all college admissions."

Her anger temporarily forgotten, Naru found herself becoming absorbed in Keitaro's confession, "So then…what changed your mind? What made you decide to go for the exam?"

"…You did."

The young woman's mind crashed for a moment as she processed those words, "M-m-m-me?!"

Keitaro nodded with a small smile, "Yea. It probably sounds really weird, but seeing someone work so hard, and be so determined to meet a goal so different from my own…a goal that's actually normal compared to what I've been doing most of my life…it was inspiring in a way. You made aiming for Tokyo U seem like something worthwhile…seeing your efforts breathed new life into the promise I made, so I decided to give it a shot."

Naru felt as if her heart was on cloud nine, unable to think of a proper response until she remembered her reality, "Well…I doubt that matters anymore. I failed, remember?"

"I do…and that's why I decided not to go. Not without you."

The young woman's eyes snapped to her friend, who was looking at her with calm determination. The strength in his eyes kept her rooted to where she stood, "I…I don't understand."

"You can reject acceptance to the university, if you feel that you can't attend for whatever reason," the landlord explained, his eyes never leaving the soft brown ones of his friend, "attending without you would be a hollow experience. You were the reason I gave this a shot, so becoming a student without you would be meaningless. So I'm going to wait."

Naru's breath hitched when Keitaro lessened the gap between them and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "I know you won't give up after this. I know you're going to try again. So I decided I'm going to be right there with you when you do. We'll take the exam again together. We'll PASS together, and we'll go to Tokyo U…together. This is my new promise."

"…you dummy…" Naru whispered, finally unable to hold back her tears, "you big…stupid…dummy…"

Keitaro pulled her into his chest as she continued to sob, the girl slowly wrapping her arms around him tightly, "I'm sorry…I should have said that instead of lying…I just didn't know how to explain myself before and I picked the first thing I could think of."

"You…need to work…on your people skills…Mr. Fix-It," Naru said through her sobs, but despite her tears, she smiled into the boy's chest and hugged him even tighter, all her previous anger and hurt replaced with something different...something _else_.

* * *

After taking a few moments to collect themselves, the two ronin left Kizomiyu-dera and used what remained of the day to tour around the ancient city of Kyoto. Much of the area was new to Naru, as she had rarely had the time to visit the ancient city. Keitaro, on the other hand, knew the place almost like the back of his hand, thanks to the close relationship his clan had to the Aoyama clan, who claimed the former capital as their territory. This became evident when the landlord took the lead in deciding the best places to check out. Once the sun had fully descended and night fell, the two opted to find a hot springs spa inn to relax and crash for the time being, before continuing on their impromptu mini vacation.

Finding a place to stay was the easy part, thanks to a quick, discreet call from the landlord and asking for a favor from the owner of a very successful hot-springs inn. It was the accommodations that proved to be the hard part.

"There's only one room left!?"

"I'm afaid so," the receptionist replied apologetically, getting twin looks of disbelief from the two ronin, "There's a very popular festival happening tomorrow in town and it usually brings in a lot of tourists like yourselves. If it weren't for a couple cancelling their reservation a few minutes ago, we would've been at full capacity."

Keitaro sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, guess we can't do much about it. Everywhere else would probably be full up by now. Do you mind, Naru-san?"

"Uhh…n-no, not really," the long-haired girl said with a slight blush, the connotation of staying in a room with a boy overnight not lost on her. Seeing no hesitation from his friend, Keitaro turned back to the receptionist, "Ok then, we'll take it."

"Very good sir! Right this way," the young woman at the desk rose from her seat and led the two through a small hallway with thoroughly polished wooden floors and tatami doors running down both sides. Within minutes the trio arrived at their destination, "Here's your room. It's a traditional honeymoon suite, so it's rather spacious."

Keitaro opened the door and peered inside, a quick glance confirming the inn employee's description, "I can see that. This is perfect, thank you again."

"Happy to be of assistance! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on the intercom," the receptionist gave one last smile to the two before heading back to the lobby. Fighting off a yawn, the landlord turned to his friend, "So, what do you want to do first? Dinner, or taking a dip in the hot springs?"

Naru walked inside the room and inspected the area for herself, "Hmmm…how about we head to the hot springs first? Then decide what to do after that?"

"Sounds good to me," Keitaro replied as he took a seat in the middle of the floor. The room was pretty spacious, with a private bath room and two large futons unrolled to the right side of the room, along with a small closet to hang clothes and a desk that sat against the wall under a large window. There was also a small balcony with a spectacular view of the inn's grounds.

After gathering the complimentary yukata and towels, the two ronin headed straight for the springs, which to their delight were completely empty. After spending close to half an hour soaking and making small talk through the bamboo wall, they returned to the room, where they noticed something they had missed before: the futons were laid out right next to each other, as opposed to being split apart.

"Well…don't know how we missed that before," Keitaro quipped embarrassedly, a slight tinge of red dusting his cheeks. Looking around the room, he spotted a small divider, "At least they left this thing. I'll place it in between the futons, so you can have your space."

"…you don't have to do that…"

The soft-spoken words stopped the landlord short, his head woodenly turning back to the lovely young woman behind him, "C-Come again?"

Naru composed herself with a huff and placed her fists on her hips, "Well, it's still the beginning of March, which means the temperature's going to drop later in the night. If you put up a divider, and I start freezing at some point, how am I going to take your blankets to keep me warm? Come on Mr. Fix-it, use your brain for once!"

Keitaro blinked a few times, going over her words in his head, "…You're SURE about this?"

"What's the problem? I trust you," she shot him a small smirk with half-lidded eyes, "or maybe…you don't trust me? Does sleeping next to a girl scare you, Mr. Samurai?"

"Tch…scared of sleeping next to you? Dream on," Keitaro scoffed as he walked back over to the grinning girl and knelt onto one of the futons, "If anything, I'm more scared of your snoring."

Naru's face quickly turned a furious pink, getting a few chuckles from her friend, "I do NOT snore! Jerk!"

Keitaro continued to laugh, earning him a hard shove down to his futon. Looking up with mirth-filled eyes, the young man watched as his annoyed friend lifted the blankets to her futon and crawled in, shutting the lamp next to them off and casting the room into total darkness.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, the landlord settled himself into his own futon and tried to get to sleep. A few moments later, he heard a rustling noise coming from behind him. Sensing that he and Naru were still the only ones in the room, the young warrior chuckled, "Feeling cold already? Just warning you, I won't give up my blankets so easily."

"…Keitaro-san?"

The timid inflection in the young woman's voice caught the landlord off guard. Slowly turning himself over so he could face her properly, Keitaro replied, "Yea? What's up-"

He froze when he realized how close the girl had moved to him. Naru's face was only a few inches away from his own, and her body, clad only in a thin yukata, was close enough for him to feel the warmth radiating from her.

"…I never got to say thank you…for earlier," the now meek girl continued, "I…I don't think I'd ever felt so lost about anything in my life…but after what you said…I've been feeling way better about everything that happened. Granted, failing still stings, but…I know it's not the end."

The girl slowly reached over and pulled the landlord into a tight hug, almost losing herself in how comfortable holding him to her felt, "And now, I feel ready to tackle things from square one again when we get back. So thanks, you big dummy, even though you messed up royally before."

"Tch…troublesome woman, how many times am I going to have to apologize for that," Keitaro chuckled before returning the embrace, "And you don't need to thank me. I'm just glad you're feeling better about the whole thing and are willing to try again."

The two remained that way for a few moments, far longer than Keitaro thought he would be allowed to. Feeling playful despite his fatigue, the young man decided to poke at the girl one last time, "You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you seem really cozy right now."

Naru began to feel something again, almost like a pulling sensation from within that rose to the bait the landlord set, but not in the way he was expecting. Looking up into his face, she smiled, "What can I say, you're really comfy and I don't wanna move."

"Is that right?" Keitaro said with a slight challenge in his voice. He slightly tightened his grip around the girl's thin waist, pulling her flush to him, "How about now?"

"…_Really_ comfy," the sensual timber of her voice sent a thrilling sensation down the young man's spine. The two had been in situations like this before, but there was something different this time. The Mononobe heir sensed a shift in the young woman, like something had finally clicked into place after being dormant for a while, "You might wanna move back…"

Smirking, Naru defied the young man's warning by moving her face closer, "Oh really? Why would I want to do that?"

"Because I'm starting to feel something pulling me to you," Keitaro replied, indeed feeling something drawing him closer to Naru, "And I think it'll make me do something you may or may not like."

"That's funny," she whispered as her forehead softly pushed into Keitaro's own, "I've been feeling something like that too."

The two briefly looked into each other's eyes, both pairs glistening in the dark, before their faces inched closer together.

For almost five years, Keitaro had been living in his own brand of hell. But the instant he felt the soft, silky sensation of Naru's lips on his own, somewhere in his cursed and tormented soul, a small ray of light had been born.

He had finally gotten a small taste of heaven.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Happy New Year everyone! Again, apologies for the delay. I've been trying to organize these chapters better at the behest of my beta reader Cloud, and it's proven to work pretty well. Time (and you guys) will decide if it's successful though, so please leave reviews.

So this chapter, and the next one, will be mainly set up (I know a lot of you have seen enough fluff and want more _Tenchuu_ action), but what's happening here will be critical for later...especially the fact that Naru and Kyo are officially a thing now...well sort of.

Next chapter will conclude their little vacation in Kyoto, as well as introduce a certain watermelon-loving Okinawan, who may or may not have ties to Kyoshiro's past. Who knows... XD

Hope no one else got hit with a terrible blizzard like I did! Ciph signin off!


	10. Kyoshiro's Way

**Chapter 9 – Kyoshiro's Way**

"Hello Haru-chan! I'm glad I was able to reach you this time!"

"Hello to you too Granny Hina," the laid-back tea shop owner replied on her smart phone, nursing a small cup of her favorite tea as she leaned against the counter. The sun had barely risen, the sky outside still painted in the early morning purples and midnight blues, "You're calling earlier than normal. The fifteenth of the month isn't for four more days."

The Urashima clan head cackled, "Oh my, since when did you start keeping track of my calls so closely? That's something I would expect from Kyoshiro-kun."

"I'll bet."

"Speaking of whom, how has he been adapting?" Hina asked curiously. Not a day went by that she didn't think of the vengeful young man and how he was handling himself with his new duties. This was mostly because Kanako was always in her ears about it.

Young, misguided love and all that.

"Heh…he's been adapting pretty well to be honest," Haruka replied with a small smirk, "At first he was really distant with the girls, didn't even eat meals with them. But after a talk with Naru, the kid's starting to open up a bit more. Matter of fact, I think he's actually on a trip with Naru right now."

"A private get-away?! OUR Kyoshiro-kun?!"

The tea shop owner chuckled, "Yea, I almost didn't believe it either. Turns out he and Naru got into a little spat after they found out she failed her entrance exams," Haruka heard her grandmother gasp at hearing of the brown haired girl's failure, "Yea, she didn't take it too well. Anyway, Kyo-kun decided to go after her. We haven't heard from them yet, but if he's with her, I think they're going to be just fine."

On the other side of the line, Hina put a hand to her chest and sighed in relief, "I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to hear that he did such a thing. For so long he has had such an isolated lifestyle… thanks to all of that pain and rage he's held onto after what happened."

"Honestly, when you came up with this plan of yours, I thought it would fail from the get-go," Haruka admitted, taking a sip of her tea before she continued, "Seeing his face when he read that letter with the deed…I'm **still** surprised he didn't just take off right after…"

"Kyoshiro-kun has always been someone driven by immense respect to honor the wishes of his elders," Hina replied sagely, "Whether it was to his parents, his clan council, even the board of directors at Nagareboshi, who he is technically superior to in status, he would always listen to their advice and fulfill any requests asked of him."

"Ain't that the truth," Haruka sighed and took a seat, idly noticing the sun beginning to brighten up the sky, "You know, he had a legit chance to leave not too long ago. I don't know if I told you, but he ended up dueling Motoko last month."

Hina raised an eyebrow, "Really? A duel with Motoko-chan?"

"It was another small spat, but the conditions were that if he lost the duel, he would have to relinquish his position," Haruka smiled at the memory of that spectacular fight, "Needless to say, he beat her. He beat her _senseless_."

"I see…" the old woman remained silent for a moment, giving her niece the chance to finish her tea and begin wiping down the counter, "Maybe…the fruits of our labor are beginning to ripen. If Kyoshiro-kun truly did not take the opportunity to leave…it could mean that he may finally be moving on."

The younger woman glanced over in the direction of Hinata-sou and sighed, "Let's hope so Granny…for everyone's sake, let's hope so."

* * *

"Keitaro-san! Hurry up! We have to check out the rest of these vendors before we head out!"

Keitaro chuckled at Naru's excitement, "Calm down, woman! They're not going anywhere!"

The cheerful girl stuck her tongue out playfully before quickly walking over to one of the many stalls lining the streets, earning another laugh from the Mononobe heir. After spending the night at the hotel, the two gathered their belongings and decided to check out the festival going on in the area. Both ronin had come to the consensus that since they were already in Kyoto, and there was no pressing reason to return home anytime soon, that they might as well enjoy the mini-vacation together.

As he watched his companion zip from vendor to vendor buying all sorts of souvenirs with a huge smile on her face, Keitaro reflected on everything that had happened, _'Man…to think this all started with getting punched in the face for being an idiot. No…it probably started sooner than that.'_

Never in a million years did the landlord think that his relationship with Naru would have grown into what it was now. The previous night had been the most surreal of his life, spending the majority of it holding the slender girl in his arms while they innocently explored one another's lips. Keitaro gently ran a finger across his mouth as he remembered the soft, silky sensation of kissing the beautiful brunette.

'_It still feels so unreal…I knew my feelings for her were changing the more we hung out, and I had a hunch the same was happening with her…but I definitely didn't expect this. Especially with everything that I've been doing the past couple of years.'_

So lost in his thoughts, Keitaro didn't notice someone walk into his path until he knocked the person onto the ground, "What the hell?!"

Looking down, he saw a rather chest-heavy girl in a long-sleeved green shirt and long yellow dress splayed out onto the ground, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her mouth slightly open. It didn't appear that she was breathing.

"Holy crap!" the landlord cursed as he quickly knelt down to examine the woman, "Are you ok? I'm so sorry!"

As he began the process of gently lifting her upper back onto his knees for leverage, Naru quickly ran over and stooped down next to him, "Hey, what happened to her?!"

"I was kind of lost in thought and didn't see her in my path until it was too late," he responded meekly, until he got a closer look at the unconscious woman's face, _'Wait a minute…she looks familiar…'_

Doing a quick once over while Naru was preoccupied with trying to flag someone down for help, Keitaro began to notice several recognizable features on the unconscious young woman, all of which started raising red flags, _'No way…sudden unconsciousness, that long brown hair tied in an elaborate braid, the…ridiculously huge chest that would put Oni-Kitsune to shame…?!'_

"Hey Keitaro-san," Naru's voice pulled the boy out of his inspection, "I just found this on the ground!"

Looking down, Keitaro spotted what looked to be an ID card of some sort attached to a Tokyo U lanyard. He took a quick glance at the name.

"Otohime, Mutsumi."

'…_Fuck…me…'_

* * *

"Ara ara, I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble."

It was only a few minutes later that the mysterious woman, identified as Mutsumi, regained consciousness, much to the relief of Naru and the few people that stopped to help get the anemic woman to a table to sit.

"It's ok, nothing to make a big deal over," Naru replied, waving off the other woman's apology easily, "If anything, it's this knucklehead that should apologize for not paying attention and knocking you over. Isn't that right, Mr Fix-It?"

"…I apologize," the landlord mumbled, while trying to keep his face hidden by turning his head to the side. Ever since Mutsumi had awakened, he'd done his best to not look at her directly, something Naru took quick notice of.

"Hey! What kind of apology is that?! Look her in the face, will ya?!"

Mutsumi glanced over at the man for a moment, before suddenly reaching out with both hands and gently turning him to face her directly. For what felt like an eternity, but was only about a minute or two, Keitaro and Mutsumi locked eyes, the younger man fighting off a cold sweat as he endured the beautiful woman's appraising stare.

'_Crap…crap…oh Buddha above, if you're listening and you love me, PLEASE don't let her recognize me!' _the avenger thought frantically. After a few more moments, Naru interjected, "Uhh…Otohime-san…w-what are you doing?"

"Hmm…you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?" Mutsumi asked airily, though her eyes narrowed ever so slightly with suspicion. Keitaro quickly waved his hands in the negative and shook his head, "Nope! Never!"

The anemic woman sighed and slowly released her hold on Keitaro's head, "Then please forgive my forwardness. It's just that…you look like someone I knew a very long time ago," she giggled into her hand, "I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries, mister…um…ara ara, I don't think I asked for your names before. How rude of me."

"N-not at all," Naru replied shakily, quickly trying to find a way to shift the conversation in a different direction, "I'm Narusegawa Naru, and this idiot's Urashima Keitaro," Keitaro lamely waved hello, "So…I noticed you have a Tokyo U exam ID card. Did you take the exam the other day too?"

"Mhmm!" the older woman nodded, "Tokyo U has been a goal of mine for a very long time, ever since I was a little girl. Unfortunately, despite studying so hard for it, I wasn't able to pass this time…"

Naru's eyes widened, "You too?! Wow, talk about a coincidence…a not so happy coincidence, but still…"

"So the both of you were unable to pass as well?" Mutsumi raised a hand over her mouth, "Wow, I never thought that I would run into others who were taking a recovery trip from failing the exam during the festival as well!"

"Right?! Which part do you think hurt you the most? Personally, that new math section-"

As the two girls dove into discussing the areas of the exam that they thought were the hardest, Keitaro's eyes narrowed as he kept mulling over this new development, only keeping a slight ear out for the conversation just in case, _'Of all the people to run into randomly…I mean come on! First Mo-chan at the dorms, and now Mutsumi-chan?!'_

It almost seemed as if his grandmother had conspired with the forces that be to test his ability to keep his identity under wraps. While the avenger had managed to remain out of the kendo girl's crosshairs despite her heightened suspicion, he wasn't feeling as confident when it came to the insightful Okinawan.

'_She was always extremely pereceptive, even when we were kids. I don't know if Hina-obaasama told the Otohime clan of my survival, but if she didn't then this is going to be tough…'_

He took a cursory side-glance at the two girls, noticing that Naru seemed to be getting a bit more animated as she continued to rant to Mutsumi about the exam, while the older woman was content with nodding her head and putting in her two cents here and there, _'Well…at least Naru seems to have gotten a bit more comfortable with her.'_

"Ara ara, I forgot to go get my souvenirs," Mutsumi suddenly said as she sprang up from her seat, "Please excuse me. It was nice meeting you! Maybe we'll meet up again before the festival's end, ne?"

"Y-yea, it was nice meeting you too," Keitaro stood up and enthusiastically shook the older woman's hand, "And who knows, hopefully we will!"

As the older woman walked off, Naru leaned over and whispered to Keitaro, "Hey, do you think it's okay to just let her go like that? I mean, she might not have fully recovered from taking that fall…"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Keitaro insisted as he strapped his bag back onto his back, "It was a one-time accident…nothing to worry about."

**CRASH!**

The two ronin immediately looked over to the street, where Mutsumi had somehow managed to crash into a billboard sign. Shakily standing back up, the older woman waved over to the young couple, "I-I'm ok!"

Naru and Keitaro watched as she wobbled off again, before promptly bumping into a statue of a bear with a sombrero, the stone hat falling off and smacking the ditsy woman on the head, "Araa~"

"Otohime-san!" Naru exclaimed as she hastily grabbed her bag and ran over to the fallen woman. Keitaro face-palmed at the scene, _'…I spoke to soon. Ugh, she really HASN'T changed since we were younger!'_

"Oi, Mr. Fix-It! Get over here and help out already!"

"I'm comin, I'm comin!"

* * *

"Iyaaa~ so boooooored…"

Motoko sighed at Kitsune, unable to comprehend how the fox woman was able to lay around on the couch all day doing virtually nothing. The dorm had been rather quiet ever since Naru had left on her impromptu healing trip, and Keitaro had yet to call and update anyone beyond letting Haruka know that he was tracking his friend down. In all honesty, the whole thing seemed fishy to the kendoka, but she had resolved not to jump to conclusions…this time.

"Auu…I hope Naru-sempai and Keitaro-sempai are alright," Shinobu fretted as she set some snacks on the coffee table, only for them to be inhaled by the hyperactive Suu, "Do you think Keitaro-sempai will call again anytime soon?"

"He better! We're missin out on the adventure of the century right now!" the fox woman complained from her spot, "I swear if those two went off an' eloped without tellin me…!"

Suu hopped onto the sofa, surprising Kitsune when the woman suddenly found herself airborne, "Oh! Oh! What's 'eloped'? Does it taste good?!"

"Ack! Dammit Suu, how many times have I told ya not to do that?!" Kitsune yelled, before suddenly adopting a mischievous smirk, "But if you really wanna know, elope isn't something you eat…at least not right away…"

Before the older woman could attempt to corrupt the blonde foreigner, Motoko intervened, "I think that is quite enough, Kitsune-sempai. Suu is not old enough to hear such things."

"Oooohhhh, and how do YOU know what elopement is, Motoko-chan?" the fox woman fixed the younger girl with a knowing smirk, "Anything you wanna share?"

"Th-th-th-that is NONE of your business!" the Aoyama heiress yelled, her face flushed red, "A-a-anyway, it is improper to talk of such _salacious _things with children around!"

Shinobu looked on worriedly as Motoko and Kitsune continued with their back and forth, but just as the young homemaker was about to intervene, the phone rang. Quickly rising from her seat, the bluenette excused herself and took the phone from the receiver, "T-This is the Hinata-sou, Shinobu speaking…K-K-Keitaro-sempai?!"

The living room suddenly went quiet as the other girls slowly turned to the small girl, before immediately crowding the girl's hand, each one trying to get their two cents in.

"Taro-chan! Where the hell are you?! Are you and Naru-chan alright?"

"Urashima-teme! How dare you not call the dorms for two days! You better not have been doing anything perverted to Naru-sempai!"

"Keitaro! When are you coming back?! Suu came up with a bunch of new robots for us to play with!"

Poor Shinobu had no way out and no way to calm them down, her eyes becoming swirls as she was jostled between her dorm mates as they tried to get the phone. Finally having enough, the demure middle-schooler finally put her foot down, "STOOOOP!"

Motoko, Suu, and Kitsune all froze in place with surprised stares pointed at the bluenette. Taking a breath, Shinobu continued, "I-If you all want to t-talk to Sempai, l-let me put him on speaker phone first, please."

Seeing the unanimous nod, Shinobu activated the speaker phone feature, "S-Sempai, you're on speaker phone now."

"Good…I swear I was about to just chuck my phone into the river," came the somewhat snarky reply from the wayward landlord, "Ok, let's try this again: hello everyone."

"I think we can spare the pleasantries, Urashima-san," Motoko interrupted, "Now can you please tell us just why you haven't contacted anyone but Haruka-san in two days? Just what have you been up to in Kyoto!?"

The girls heard a sigh before the young man replied, "Well…in a nutshell: Me and Naru-san failed our exams, got into an argument, she fled to Kyoto, and I tracked her down to apologize. We made up, and now we're touring Kyoto for a little bit to recuperate."

"Urashima-kun!"

"Oh…and we made a new friend," Keitaro said hesitantly, his tone conjuring up the image of him rubbing the back of his forehead in the rest of the girls' minds, "Funny story, she failed too so we're all touring and healing together."

Kitsune giggled, "Healing together, huh? Has there been any…_special healing sessions_, hmm?"

Shinobu and Motoko blushed instantly at the insinuation, while the innuendo flew completely over Suu's head, "Special healing sessions? Is Keitaro sick?"

"…is it too much to ask that you go ONE day without trying to corrupt the youth, Oni-Kitsune?" the landlord groaned, "We've just been going around Kyoto. Later tonight, the three of us are going to take a boat to Amami Island to top off our trip and then Naru-san and I will come home."

"Just so long as you remain on your best behavior, Urashima-san," the resident kendoka warned in a clipped voice, "Naru-san better not have any stories of you letting your male urges run wild in the company of two vulnerable women."

'_Is this girl for real?'_ Keitaro thought to himself at the other end, "…Aoyama-san, if you really think that NARU-san of all people is a vulnerable woman, you CLEARLY don't know her very well…"

"What was that, buster?!" came Naru's voice from next to him, not sounding happy at all with his observation of her.

"Oh, would you look at the time!" the landlord said in a panic, "We have to go catch the boat now! Take care girls! See you in a few days!"

Kitsune and Shinobu giggled as they overheard Naru ripping into the landlord before the line cut out. The fox woman leaned against the counter as she recomposed herself, "Well, at least we know they're ok."

"Indeed…however I still feel somewhat uncomfortable knowing that Urashima-san is alone with Naru-sempai and some other woman we know nothing about," Motoko commented, sending a slight glare at the phone.

"I-I'm sure Keitaro-sempai would never do anything t-to offend either of them," the bluenette defended, though the kendo girl scoffed at the younger girl's words, "Oh, it's getting late, I should start dinner."

The young homemaker made her way over to the kitchen, quickly followed by Suu, "Oh! Suu wants to help! Suu wants to help!"

"Well, I guess we're done here," Kitsune stretched, but she only made it a couple of steps away from the counter when the phone rang again, "What the…hmph…guess we're pretty popular today, huh?"

Motoko shook her head and began walking towards the stairs as the resident fox lady picked up, "Moshi-Moshi! Kitsune here! Mhmm…yes…oh, she's right here, hold on," Kitsune placed the receiver on the counter and waved, "Oi! Motoko-chan! It's for you."

"…Is that right?" Motoko calmly walked over and took the receiver, while Kitsune went back to the sofa and plopped down lazily, "Motoko speaking."

"…Imouto-chan…"

The temperature of the living room seemed to drop by several degrees as Motoko's countenance changed from neutral to absolutely frigid, "…_Aneue…"_

Kitsune shivered at the biting chill in the younger girl's voice, _'Holy crap! She just answered the phone a second ago and she's already __**that **__pissed? What gives?!'_

"…You haven't been answering my calls. I was starting to get worried and I…wanted to make sure you were ok-"

"I believe I made it perfectly clear that I wanted no contact from anyone at Shinmeiryuu," Motoko replied crisply, "That includes you, _Aneue_."

The older swordswoman on the other end sighed sadly before continuing, "Imouto-chan…I know you still have…many _objections_ about what was proposed…but you can't run away from this forever-"

Motoko didn't even bother to let her sister finish before smashing the phone back onto its base, nearly cracking the counter and causing Kitsune to jump from her seat. The resident prankster put a hand to her wildly beating chest, "Hey! What the hell was that, Motoko?!"

"None of your business," the irate kendoka answered, fixing the fox with a cold glare that froze the poor woman where she sat, "If anyone calls from that place for me again, you will tell them I am not here. Understood?"

Seeing the older woman rapidly not her head, Motoko stormed up the stairs to her room, her mind a maelstrom of angry thoughts.

'_How dare she…how dare ANY of them…as if I could ever do something so…so…!'_

* * *

Keitaro sighed in relief as he entered his meditative stance on the bed, using the steady rocking of the boat to calm himself. After contacting the dorms, the landlord and his companions quickly made their way to the docks, where Mutsumi had told them they could catch the last boat to the Amami Islands. Initially, the young man had been wary of the idea, as the more he spent time with the busty Okinawan beauty, the greater the chance she could discover who he really was. However, it seemed her air-headedness had been out in full force.

'_Or I could just be really lucky,' _he thought wryly before his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling. Keitaro looked over to the other door in their cabin, which led to the bathroom. Citing the need for some girl bonding time (he couldn't understand that part at all since both had only just met hours ago), Mutsumi had all but dragged Naru into the bathroom to bathe with her.

"Naru-san…huh…I wonder if I can keep adding –san after last night," the landlord whispered, his cheeks reddening just a bit as he recalled the unexpected but not at all unwelcome leap in his friendship with the lovely young woman. He traced his lips again, the memory of her soft lips as they brushed lightly against his own sending an unfamiliar warmth through his entire body. For a first kiss, it was a lot more thrilling than he'd been led on to believe.

"Well…if I'm really being honest with myself, that wasn't my _first_ kiss," Keitaro chuckled, straightening his back and evening out his breathing, "That claim goes to-"

**SPLASH**

"AAAH! Mutsumi-san! Careful! The bathtub's slippery!"

"Ara ara, silly me, I thought there would be a mat on the floor to prevent that…"

The Mononobe heir sighed again, this time with a sweat drop rolling from his forehead. The older woman really hadn't changed all that much from their childhood.

"She was always really clumsy…luckily she had Saya-chan to help balance that out," the recollection of his sister brought his current line of thought to a halt. Tilting his head down to the point that his bangs hid his eyes, the young man's countenance seemed to shift, "…am I really doing the right thing?"

He thought back to the moment that marked the beginning of this new chapter in his life: his grudging acceptance of the new role as manager and landlord of Hinata-sou. At first, he had been doggedly adamant about leaving and returning home, going as far as to ignore the girls around him in order to distance himself and keep his mind on the mission.

'_It was pretty easy to do that at first…at least until Naru had that talk with me,'_ he recalled their first study session at the dorms, when she had made him rice balls and flicked him on the head as she told him to relax, _'I think it might have been around then that something started to stir between us…something I probably should have ignored…'_

Ignore it he hadn't, however, which was somewhat troubling to the young man. Glancing at the bathroom door again, Keitaro mentally ran through every moment he'd had with the bespectacled beauty, from their time together at school, to moving into the dorms, even including their second "incident" on Valentine's Day.

'…_I'm still pissed at Oni-Kitsune and Suu for that…'_

Finally, he returned to the present, sharing a mid-sized cabin on a boat bound for the Amami Islands with Naru and Mutsumi, another precious person from his past who had no doubt been told of his and his clan's demise. Once again, he was deceiving someone he cared about, and now, he would be adding Naru to the list.

"It's not fair to her…maybe what I'm doing is a mistake," a sharp pain flared in his chest at the thought of stopping what he was developing with Naru, "but then why does it hurt like that every time I think of putting a halt on this, and going back to how things used to be? Dammit…stupid feelings."

Another splash and loud laughter brought Keitaro out of his reverie. Stifling a chuckle himself, he shook his head at the door and laid back on his arms in a more comfortable position on the bed, "Sheesh, those two sound like they're having a blast. Wonder what they're talking about…"

* * *

"So he came all this way after you, just to say sorry for lying about failing the exam?"

Naru nodded, a slight blush on her face. She didn't know how she ended up telling Mutsumi the truth about Keitaro passing the exam, then deceiving her about it, but something about the older woman just made the new ronin feel like she could trust her with just about anything, "Y-Yea…he even still had the bruise on his face from where I punched him."

Mutsumi fought the urge to recoil, instead rubbing the younger girl's back soothingly, "You shouldn't kick yourself for that so much. It seems he accepted your apology, otherwise I doubt he would be travelling with you, ne?"

"I guess that's true. We kinda talked about it last night before bed…" Naru's thoughts immediately went to what happened after their talk, the feel of Keitaro holding her close to his powerful frame, his delicate hands, and the electrifying feeling of his lips against hers. She tried and failed to hide her lobster red face from Mutsumi, but the older girl picked up on it immediately, "Ara ara, are you ok, Naru-san? You're getting really red…"

"O-O-Oh, d-d-don't mind me!" the younger girl squealed, "I-I-It's probably j-just the water temperature!"

Mutsumi giggled innocently, "Maybe…or maybe you're thinking about a certain ronin who just happens to be waiting for us outside?"

Somehow defying all logic, Naru's face became even redder, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? There's n-n-nothing between Keitaro-san and me!"

"Really? Are you sure?" the Okinawan questioned, staring Naru down innocently, "I mean, you both seemed to be so close in the market. And on the way to the boat as well. You almost held hands at one point…or was I seeing things again?"

Naru remembered that one moment when she and Keitaro had been walking side by side while he was chatting lightly with Mutsumi. Their hands had been only millimeters apart, and the bespectacled girl had caught herself just before her hand had wrapped itself around his, mentally berating herself for trying something so forward without even talking to him first.

Seeing the girl quiet down, Mutsumi continued along her 'inquiry', "Did something else happen between you two last night? Something that may have…changed things a bit in your friendship?"

Surrendering to the inevitable, Naru nodded, "We…did end up doing something else…we kissed," she suddenly looked down with a slightly saddened expression, "But…we haven't really talked about it or made anything official. I have no idea how he really feels about me…and I'm scared he'll just do what he normally does when someone gets close to him and cut them off…"

"Well then all the more reason you should talk to him. Let's go!" Before Naru could protest, Mutsumi dragged her out of the tub and into a fresh robe, "The sooner you tell him, the sooner you two can get this whole thing settled and start showing the world your love!"

"W-W-Wait, Mutsumi-san! Not now!" The smaller girl tried to escape, but even with her unusually great strength, she couldn't escape the bustier girl's grip. The bathroom door flew open at Mutsumi's push and the two girls suddenly faced a very perplexed looking Keitaro, "Uhh…did you girls have…a nice bonding session?"

The oldest of the three nodded, "Mhmm! Naru-chan and I have become good friends now! Also, I believe she has something she wants to discuss with you, Urashima-kun!"

The landlord looked over to Naru, who seemed to be doing her best to hide in her robe, "I-Is that right, Naru-san? What's up?"

"A-A-Ano…W-Well," Naru began, her hands nervously fidgeting with the hem of her yukata, "T-The thing is…umm…a-a-about last n-night-"

Her stuttered statement was interrupted by the boat suddenly shaking viciously, nearly throwing Keitaro off the bed and launching the girls into the carpeted ground. Getting to his feet immediately, the landlord went over to the other two, "Are you two alright?!"

Naru groaned a bit and rubbed her forehead, "Other than a slight headache, I think I'll live," she looked over to Mutsumi, who was on her hands and knees, "Looks like Mutsumi-san is ok too…"

"I'm going to go outside and see what that was about," Keitaro stated as he headed for the door, "You two get dressed just in case."

Seeing Naru nod slightly, the Mononobe heir headed outside, where he was met with a vicious typhoon assaulting the boat. Passengers left and right were running around fearfully, some with bags in their arms as they headed for the lifeboats. Spotting one of the boat's sailors about to pass him, the landlord reached out and grabbed his shoulder, "Hey! What's going on?!"

"We just got hit by a freak squall kid! Captain gave the order to abandon ship!" the sailor spat quickly before rushing away. Keitaro cursed and went back to the room, where the girls had just finished dressing up, "We have to move! Now!"

Grabbing their hands, the Mononobe heir dragged the two to the nearest lifeboat. Luckily for them it was empty, so getting onboard with their things went quickly. Within minutes, Keitaro had lowered the lifeboat and began rowing against the churning waters away from the boat, "Damn…I never thought we would get caught up in something like this…"

"I thought typhoon season was ending?!" Naru screamed over the harsh winds, her voice nearly lost over the howling air, "How the hell do we get back to land?! Do you even know the way?!"

"Trust me, if I did, I would be heading there now!" Keitaro hollered back, his arms being taxed to their limits by the unyielding water, "We're just going to have to wait for this to pass and use the stars to navigate when the clouds dissipate!"

Mutsumi then pointed to the left of them, "Ara Ara! That looks really big!"

The other two ronins turned and gaped at the enormous wave bearing down on their small lifeboat. Keitaro grabbed onto the other two girls' arms and held fast, "HOLD ON!"

The wave crashed onto them, throwing the three and their lifeboat under the water. At some point, Keitaro lost his hold on the other two and was flung head over heels in the unforgiving tide. He surfaced briefly, only for another, even LARGER wave to crash onto his head, sending him back into the deep...

* * *

_*Giggle*_

"_Silly Onii-chan…it's way too early for you to sleep…your girlfriend's waiting for you!"_

"_You heard her kiddo…now do as your old man says and wake up!"_

* * *

"Hey, Mutsumi-san! I think he's waking up!"

Keitaro clenched his eyes before slowly opening them, revealing a clear night sky filled with stars up above. He then realized his head was lying on something warm and soft, "W-Where…where am I…?"

"If you're asking where we are geographically, I have no idea," Naru replied with a small laugh, "But if you're asking where _you_ are exactly…you're lying on my lap. You took one hell of a beating from those waves."

The landlord tried to get up, but Naru's hand gently pushed him back down, "Take it easy, Mr. Fix-It, we have no idea where we are or how we can get help yet. So rest."

"Sorry, it's never been in my nature to just take it easy at times like this," Keitaro chuckled as he let himself get pushed back onto the girl's lap. Her hand began softly caressing and massaging the top of his head, "How long was I out for?"

"Only a couple of hours, Urashima-kun," Mutsumi answered as she walked over and knelt next to the two, "It's a good thing you held onto us for as long as you did. It kept you close by when the waters washed us onto shore."

The landlord nodded, "Well I had to do something to make sure we didn't get separated…I'm sorry if I caused either of you any trouble."

"You've been causing me trouble for days, you jerk," Naru gently raked her knuckles on top of Keitaro's head, eliciting a small yelp, "But still…you did your best, so thank you."

"Neither of you need to thank me," the young man weakly waved his hand dismissively, pausing when Mutsumi caught it in her grasp and held it gently, "In any case, I think I'll take a nap first, and then we can figure out where we are and how to get home."

Seeing the two nod, Keitaro let himself slip back into sleep's embrace, the warmth from Naru's massage and lap, and from Mutsumi holding his hand making his transition back to slumber very easy.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when Keitaro woke up again, the warm rays comforting on his skin. Getting to his feet, he noticed Naru and Mutsumi playing in the water, chuckling to himself when he saw that they had somehow found their bathing suits.

Mutsumi was the first one to spot him from the water and waved, "Urashima-kun~! Come on in, the water is amazing!"

Naru looked over and gestured to him as well, "She's right Keitaro-san! Jump in!"

The landlord was tempted, but something told him to go explore the strange place they had washed ashore first, "I'll come join you two a little later. I'm going to go see if I can find a source of food and fresh water."

Waving one last time, Keitaro set off into the brush. There wasn't a lot of foliage in the area, which made travelling on foot go rather smoothly. However, there was something a little unsettling about the area the young man had found himself in.

'_Why…does something about this place seem so…familiar?' _he thought as he made his way further inland, _'It's almost as if I've been here before…not too long ago…'_

The young man almost didn't even realize that he had stumbled upon a dirt trail that led back to the coast. Shaking his head, he felt something pulling him further along the trail inland. It was almost as if something was calling to him. Going with his instincts, the Mononobe heir followed along the path. After several minutes, the foliage around him opened up into a vast rolling plain, with lustrous green grass and several wild flowers growing just about everywhere. However, it was what was in the middle of the plain that caught his eyes, and made him realize why this place felt so familiar.

A small stone shrine with a tiny patch of dirt in front of it.

'…_To think that storm would have washed us up here of all places,'_ the young man slowly made his way to the shrine, his footsteps cautious and slightly hesitant. It looked a bit more weathered than when he had left it almost five years ago, with miniature patches of moss growing on the grey stone here and there. The plot of ground that marked where the urn holding the remains of his parents and sister was buried had almost disappeared, along with the blood markings he'd made. In their place was newly grown grass and a few dandelions. Keitaro knelt down in front of the dirt patch for a moment, taking a deep breath to center his tumultuous emotions.

"…Tou-san…Kaa-san…Saya-chan…I'm home," he whispered, one hand reaching out and gently caressing the side of the shrine, "I…I'm sorry, that it took me this long to come back and visit…things became…really difficult."

Keitaro removed his hand and opened up his worn grey gi before removing it, exposing his chiseled torso, and the scars it still bore, "I've been working very hard to fulfill the promise I made to you nearly five years ago…and I'm happy to tell you, that my mission is almost halfway complete. Five of the Tachibana Pillars and their sub-branch allies are burning in hell, and a sixth will soon follow them."

The burning rage he had kept a lid on for so long began to churn in his heart again, threatening to engulf him. Without realizing it, wisps of red ki started wafting from the young man's body, making him appear as if he was in the center of a wildfire, "Hina-obaasama has done quite a bit to try and curb my desires for vengeance…but she has not succeeded. My rage…my desire for vengeance…has never burned stronger!"

The ki suddenly dissipated as Keitaro brought himself back to normal, "However…there have been many other changes in my life…changes that I never could have planned for…changes that would probably make you three laugh."

He chuckled as thoughts of Naru, Motoko, and the other girls of Hinata-sou came to mind, "I've met some very interesting people…and I was even reunited with Mo-chan, although she is completely different from how she was when we were kids. She has become full of hatred, almost as much as me, and though she hides it well, I have felt how much pain she still has over 'our' deaths..."

The wind in the area began to pick up a bit, ruffling the avenger's hair, but he paid it little mind, "I've met up with Mutsumi again too, by pure chance no less. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were guiding her to me," he scratched the back of his head as he recalled his younger days with the busty Okinawan, "you always did approve of her, Okaa-san…guess that's why you made that arrangement with her parents."

The young man looked up to the sky, somewhat anxious about what he was about to say next, "However…I've found someone else. Someone that I never expected to develop feelings for…and for a while now I have questioned if allowing myself to explore those feelings was the right way for me to take…for an _avenger_ like me to take."

Keitaro rose to his feet, and again placed a hand on the shrine, determination in his eyes, "But I think I have found my answer. Every time I think of breaking things off with her, I get a painful feeling in my chest…it almost feels as if somehow you three have been telling me to see this thing with Naru thru to the end...so that is what I will do. It may not be the avenger's way…but it's going to be _my _way. I pray I have your blessing."

With one final prayer to their souls above, the young man put his gi back on and turned to leave. He was stopped, however, when a voice called out to him.

"So this is where you got to…Urashima-kun."

Sighing to himself, the young man turned to the side to see Mutsumi, still clad in only a bikini, walking over to him and the shrine, "Otohime-san…"

"You don't have to be so formal with me. I think we both know…" Mutsumi's voice quivered as she came closer until she was only a foot away from the young man, "…w-we both know who you really are..."

Keitaro closed his eyes with a small smile let out a quick breath before cutting the flow of ki to his disguise, his now shoulder-length brown hair shifting back to black. When he opened his eyes again, the irises had gone from chocolate brown to dark crimson. Finally seeing the true form of the young man in front of her, Mutsumi choked, tears beginning to flow from her eyes, "…it really is you…Kyoshiro-kun…"

"...I'm sorry I had to lie to you, Mutsumi-chan," Kyoshiro spoke softly, somewhat enjoying not having to wear his disguise for a bit. Mutsumi closed the gap and embraced him with all her strength, her chest crushing up against his as her arms wound around his back. The Mononobe heir returned the embrace, "I'm here, Sumi-chan…I'm here…I'm sorry."

He let her remain as she was for a few moments, the girl sobbing as she told him of what became of her and her family after the massacre, of the shifting political climate of the remaining clans and how the Otohime had gone to ground after the Tachibana had been declared innocent of the slaughter of the Mononobe.

At some point, the two had sat down in front of the shrine, though the Okinawan had kept holding onto the younger man, scared that she was only dreaming and he would disappear if she awoke. Kyoshiro kept an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm to soothe her. Eventually, Mutsumi was able to calm herself down enough to speak normally again.

"So…you've really been living as an Urashima all this time…I feel like I should be angry at Hina-sama, but I can understand why she did what she did."

"Trust me…if I could have, I would have sent you and Motoko messages saying I was still alive," Kyoshiro replied, hugging the girl close to him, "But things were so unstable back then…and there were other factors to consider…"

"…like you taking revenge against the Tachibana pillars?"

Kyoshiro froze and was about to let go, but Mutsumi grabbed his arm and kept him in place, "You don't have to hide it from me…I've been keeping an eye on the news, and I was able to connect the dots. I knew someone related to the Mononobe had to be behind it, but I didn't know it was you until now."

"…The Kyoshiro you knew, died in those flames," the avenger began, a sharp edge evident in his voice, "he died when he watched his mother get stabbed through the heart from behind…he died when he had his father's head thrown at his feet before watching his sister meet the same fate of his mother, and die in his arms…he died when he had a blade run through his own stomach."

He opened his gi, giving Mutsumi an unobstructed view of the jagged, angry red line on his stomach, as well as the kanji over his heart, "He died when the demon he left behind carved his mission onto his chest."

"…I don't think so…he didn't die…" Mutsumi countered, gently running her hand over the scar on his chest, "not completely. If he did…he would never have captured the heart of that young woman that's still at the beach, waiting for him to return."

Kyoshiro turned to her, his eyes dulled, but attentive as she continued, "I know why you chose the path that you did, why you may be struggling with what you have allowed yourself to feel…but don't you think that with everything you've gone through, you deserve _some_ happiness?"

The avenger's eyes lit up once again. He had already answered that question only moments ago.

* * *

"Hah! I still can't believe we were on Okinawa this whole time," Naru laughed out loud as the three walked through the airport. After Keitaro and Mutsumi had returned and told the other girl of their location, it didn't take long for the three of them to walk to the Otohime's home. After that, it was a simple matter of purchasing a couple of plane tickets to Tokyo a couple days later.

"Talk about ironic, huh?" Keitaro commented with a grin before going up to a receptionist with his and Naru's bags, "Checking in two, please."

The woman nodded and took their bags, "Very good sir. You can proceed straight to the security checkpoint."

Nodding at her, the three went over to security. Mutsumi looked over at the other two with a small smile, "Ara ara, I suppose this is where we must say goodbye for now."

"Thank you for everything!" Naru hugged the older woman, "That was one hell of an adventure. Hopefully next time we visit, we don't run into any freak storms."

"Indeed!" Mutsumi replied before releasing her and turning to Keitaro, "It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Urashima-kun."

Keitaro nodded, "Same here, Otohime-san. Do try to be a bit more careful in the future though. Your clumsiness is a bit…worrisome to say the least."

Naru punched the young man playfully, but Mutsumi laughed, "I will do my best. Oh! I almost forgot, I have a gift for you two!"

Keitaro and Naru looked on as the Okinawan pulled out a small gift wrapped box, the top perforated with a few holes, "I meant to give it to you earlier, but we were having so much fun at home the past three days that I completely forgot until now."

"Aww, you didn't have to do that, thank you so much!" Naru thanked, receiving the box with care. She didn't expect Mutsumi to close in land a breathtaking kiss on her lips, "M-M-M-Mutsumi-san?!"

Keitaro facepalmed, _'I should've seen that coming. I swear her family has no boundaries at all.'_

The young man was abruptly brought out of his thoughts when he felt his face being cupped by Mutsumi, "Uhh…O-O-Otohime-san?"

"Well it wouldn't be fair to just give Naru-chan a goodbye kiss, now would it?" Mutsumi giggled before closing in and claiming Keitaro's lips with her own. Although it only lasted a few seconds longer than her other kiss with Naru, it was enough for the Okinawan to finally release all the love she felt for the young man.

Keitaro was stunned. Even after she pulled away, he couldn't find the energy to move. The busty Okinawan giggled, while Naru watched flabbergasted, "M-M-M-Mutsumi-san!"

"There! Now you both have the proper send off!" Mutsumi giggled before pushing the two through the security booth and waving one last time, "Have a safe trip! Send me a text when you get home to let me know you arrived safely!"

The two ronin waved back, still a little stunned, before walking over to their gate. As they approached, Naru leaned into her taller companion, "So…some adventure, huh? Keitaro-kun?"

"Tell me about it…Oni-Kitsune is going to get a kick out of this when she hears about it," Keitaro commented, before idly noticing something, "…so it's Keitaro-_kun_ now?"

"Well…things have changed…kinda," Naru replied softly, looking away with a slight blush, "I guess we should probably talk about that soon, huh?"

Keitaro looked over to the girl next to him with a small smile, "Well, we have some time before we get back to the dorms. We don't have to rush heading back either."

Naru nodded before noticing once again how close their hands were. Taking a chance, she wrapped her smaller hand around Keitaro's, only to smile when she felt his hand wrap around hers in return.

The Mononobe heir grinned seeing the happy expression on Naru's face, _'Yea…definitely made the right choice.'_

As they boarded their plane and took their seats, Keitaro felt a buzz coming from his phone. While Naru was looking out the window, he quickly took it from his pocket and saw the text message pop up on the screen.

'_Time to meet. – K.T.'_

'_Guess I'll be getting back to work sooner than I thought,' _the avenger shut his phone and leaned back into his seat. He smiled a bit when he felt Naru lay her head on his shoulder and place her arm across his chest as she went to sleep.

His life was about to get chaotic again soon, so he decided to enjoy this moment with the new woman in his life while he had the chance. It was unlikely he would feel this peaceful again for a long time.

* * *

**Author's Note - **And that does it for the soft stuff for now people! There'll be more development with this new relationship between Naru and Keitaro here and there, but as that text message from Kimiko alluded, it's time to get back to it!

And before any of you start crying "harem!" or anything, absolutely NOTHING romantic will be happening between Mutsumi and Keitaro. I'm gonna nip that in the bud right now. As much as I love that pairing, it won't work with what I have in store. They'll be really close friends, but nothing more. Also...Keitaro's eyes becoming crimson instead of brown like normal...that'll get explained later (NO it's not a rip of the Sharingan or anything...just a sign of something he's done).

Alright, next chapter...things start getting set up and people are gonna get some overdue reality checks. I think you'll like it...maybe.

Till next time. Ciph signin off.


	11. Target Acquired

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Love Hina. That designation goes to Ken Akamatsu.

**Chapter 10 – Target Acquired**

* * *

After a rather frigid winter, spring had finally come to Hinata, with warmer days, plentiful sunlight, and blossoming flowers as far as the eye could see. One could easily tell how much the spirit of the new season permeated the area simply by observing the livelihood of the staff and students at Hinata High School, which was currently undergoing preparations for their graduation ceremony. Underclassmen hung streamers and banners from the many windows, while teachers coordinated with moving crews on the placement of the stage and multiple seats out in the vast courtyard. All in all, it made for quite the spectacle.

"Well…they seem to be pretty upbeat today," Ranmaru commented idly from where he leaned against a tree trunk, flanked on both sides by his brothers, "Is graduation even really worth all this, though?"

"I guess we'll find out when it's our turn in another year or two," Ichimaru replied, content with basking in the glow of the sun as he sat on the grass. Rikimaru sighed as he observed the decorators struggling with a banner that was caught in a strong wind, one of them nearly being blown away, "Something like graduating hardly matters to people like us. We have inherited the titles of Imperial Guardians, so our role in life has already been long since decided."

The youngest triplet nodded, "That's right. We're already at the top of the game. Who needs school anyway?" Ranmaru plopped down on the grass next to Ichimaru and yawned, "What we should be doing is enjoying this downtime. Ever since Heihachi-sama and Kurotora-sama left for Hakodate, it's been cruise city…"

"Isn't it always cruise city with you, Mr. Playboy?" Ichimaru chided with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "When _was_ the last time you trained, by the way?"

"This morning, asshole!" the fiery Tachibana countered, "Sheesh, it's not like I slack off ALL the time…"

Rikimaru huffed, "Right…more like ninety percent, ninety-five on a bad day. It's amazing no one's kicked your ass yet."

Ranmaru shook his head exasperatedly, "You, my dear older brother, need to learn how to chill. When was the last time you got laid? I bet you're all backed up, that's what's making you cranky," he reached up and pulled the eldest triplet down to sit on the grass, "I'm tellin ya, just grab one of those sub-branch bitches and enjoy yourself."

"Tch…no thanks. Did that a few weeks ago, remember?" Rikimaru relented and made himself comfortable in the shade of the tree, "Unlike you, I prefer my women outside of the family, thank you very much."

"You consider that trash family?" Ranmaru raised his brow, smirking when his eldest brother quickly shook his head in the negative, "Thought so. But I see where you're comin from. In that case…"

The youngest triplet stood and pointed at the still-incomplete stage, "How about we head to that graduation ceremony later today? Pretty sure there'll be tons of babes to choose from there, right?"

* * *

"Hmm…maybe a little tighter? …and, done!" Naru grinned at her image reflected in the full-body mirror on the wall. She had just finished adjusting her tie on her school uniform one last time in preparation for the ceremony. It had been about a week since she and Keitaro returned from their adventure abroad with Mutsumi, and both ronin hadn't realized how close they had cut it with their return (Haruka had lightly chided them about it when they arrived home). The past few days had been a whirlwind of making preparations, at least on Naru's end. Keitaro had only chuckled while the bespectacled brunette nearly had a panic attack several times. Thankfully, their parents had already been told and planned to be in attendance later that day.

"We really lucked out with coming back when we did," the brunette said to herself as she pressed out a few ruffles on her skirt, _'It feels so surreal…graduating high school like this. I wonder if he-'_

Her inner monologue was interrupted by a knock on the panel under her Liddo-kun doll, "Hey Naru-san, are you almost ready?"

Beaming, Naru quickly walked over to the spot on the floor and removed the panel, revealing Keitaro dressed in his dark grey school uniform. His hair had grown a bit during their vacation, now coming down to the top of his back, the spikes becoming even more unruly. She wouldn't tell him out loud, but the young woman thought the look suited the landlord rather well.

"I'm just about finished, come on up," she replied, stepping back from the hole and giving Keitaro enough room to climb up. Once he was standing upright, the young man saw Naru tap her mouth with her index finger, her eyes smiling at him. Chuckling, Keitaro pulled the girl into his arms and gently kissed her, their lips staying locked for a blissful few moments. Naru let out a pleasant hum as the kiss ended, "Mmmm…I don't think I'll ever get tired of that."

"I would hope not," Keitaro joked with a small grin, "It's kind of addicting, I just wish we could do it in the open…"

Naru poked her boyfriend in the chest and playfully glared at him, "Hey, if I remember right, it was _your_ idea to keep us a secret from the others until after the ceremony, Mr. Random Ninja. _"If Oni-Kitsune finds out, she'll flip her shit. And let's not even talk about Aoyama-san."_ Your words, not mine."

"Ok, Ok, I get it! I dug my own grave with that one," Keitaro surrendered, letting go of Naru and watching as she returned to the mirror to apply a very light layer of makeup and lip gloss, "Guess I should've thought that one out more."

"Yes, you should have. You think you're the only one suffering from this cloak-and-dagger routine?" the lovely young woman teased before making her way back over and hugging the young man tightly around his waist, "You think I don't want to show them and the world that you're mine, and anyone that has a problem with it can get a Naru-Punch to the face?"

The landlord shook in mock-fear as he returned the embrace, "Yea…about that. No Naru-Punching ANYONE in the face… ever. I think I still feel the sting from that one you gave me before we left for Kyoto."

"Aww…Mr. Fix It still has a boo-boo?" Naru cooed, narrowing her eyes seductively as she lightly pecked Keitaro's cheek, "How can Naru-sama make it all better?"

"Well…I can think of a couple ways," the Mononobe heir's voice was a low purr, taking Naru's bait as his head drew closer to hers. The long-haired girl in his arms giggled before moving her arms from the man's waist to around his neck while her head tilted up.

Sadly, it wasn't meant to be this time.

"Naru-chaaaan~"

Both teens sprung apart and Keitaro darted back down the hole in the floor just as Kitsune opened the door to Naru's room and dashed over to hug her friend, followed by Shinobu, Suu, and Motoko, "Congrats again, Naru-chan! Reunited in the real world at last!"

"Ah, th-thanks, Kitsune," Naru replied as she weakly returned her friend's exuberant embrace. She looked over and saw the others, "And thanks to you guys for the support too."

Motoko returned her thanks with a small smile, "Think nothing of it, Naru-sempai. It brings me great joy to see the fruits of your labors. Despite the obstacles you faced and continue to face, you still made it to this point. You should be proud."

"W-We'll miss seeing you at school, Naru-sempai," the timid bluenette whimpered, tears beginning to come to her eyes. Naru smiled and walked over to give the girl a hug, "Thanks Shinobu-chan, but it's not like we'll never see each other again. We live together. And if you ever need help with your studies again, feel free to ask me, ok?"

The younger girl nodded with a smile. Meanwhile, Suu ran over to the uncovered hole in the floor, "Hey, is Keitaro graduating too? I wanna say congrats to him!"

"You can say your congratulations without jumping down, Suu," Keitaro chuckled from the doorway of Naru's room, surprising everyone except Naru, who figured he would show up again after the others.

"…I suppose congratulations are in order for you as well…Urashima-san," Motoko said, albeit with some difficulty, "For a male, you were rather dedicated to your studies. It is…unfortunate that you and Naru-sempai were unsuccessful on your entrance exams."

Keitaro shrugged, "Hey…it's a hard exam, and it caught us off guard. We'll be ready next time though, right?" he winked at Naru, who had to fight an oncoming blush.

"Y-Yea…duh! You even need to ask?"

"Aww, look at that," Kitsune chimed in, her signature fox eyes in full effect, "Aren't y'all the cutest ronin couple!"

Shinobu blushed fiercely, steam pouring from her ears, "R-R-R-Ronin…C-C-C-Couple?"

The resident kendoka blushed as well, although it was mostly from righteous anger that embarrassment, "Kitsune-sempai, your jokes are NOT appreciated at this point in time, thank you very much!"

The fox laughed while Suu jumped around the room chanting "Ronin Couple" every few seconds, "Well hey, I just call it as I see it."

"Well I'm making another call," the landlord interrupted, somehow unfazed from the teasing, "It's almost eleven. Ceremony starts at half past twelve and we still have to catch the trolley and walk."

"Omigosh! We gotta go!" Naru exclaimed before grabbing her bag and dashing out the door, latching onto Keitaro's arm and pulling her along with him, "We'll see you guys when we get back! Don't wait up if we're late for dinner!"

Kitsune shook her head as she watched the dust cloud from the two graduates hasty departure dissipate, "Man, I don't think I was that pumped up for my graduation…then again I was leavin those two behind, so maybe that's why I wasn't as excited."

"I suppose so," Motoko replied before making her way out of the room, "In any case, I will head to the roof to get some training done before lunch. Call me when everything is ready."

"I will," Shinobu replied before heading downstairs, "I-I'll go get some studying in before preparing lunch. I c-can't afford to slack off now."

The hyperactive foreigner followed her, "Oh! Suu can help Shinobu-chan study! Suu's a genius!"

Before she could politely refuse, the blond grabbed Shinobu and pulled her downstairs, leaving Kitsune alone in Naru's room, "Hmm…well that ends that. Wonder what I should do today…"

* * *

The ceremony itself actually didn't take that long. It was a lovely late-March afternoon, and everyone wanted to have as much time as possible to enjoy it, the principal and staff included. After the traditional singing, special guest speakers, and the speeches by the principal and student council president, the new graduates found themselves free to roam around the school grounds. Some held their friends close as tears of goodbye streamed from their eyes, others took endless pictures with their fellow grads and popular teachers.

Naru did neither, and instead opted to take a walk around the mostly empty campus, reflecting on her days as a student. As she passed by the library, she smiled as she recalled the very first time she met her best-friend-turned-secret-boyfriend.

'_It's really been two years…I don't think either of us could've ever known we'd end up the way we are now,'_ she thought as she spotted the desk they had first sat at so long ago, _'I was the bookworm, and he was the quiet loner kid…now that I think of it, us pairing up does sound like a good match…'_

Suddenly, the brown-haired girl's vision went dark as a pair of masculine hands gently covered her eyes, "You get three guesses as to who I am. Should you fail, a terrible punishment awaits you."

Smiling, Naru lifted her hands to trace the other person's hands, "Hmm…your hands feel pretty calloused, but still gentle…tense forearms…soft cheeks…you can't be Keitaro-kun, could you?"

Keitaro removed his hands from his girlfriend's eyes, "Damn, and here I thought I had you. Guess I'll have to try harder, huh?"

"Please, you'd never trick me that easily, Mr. Fix It," Naru teased as she turned to face her grinning boyfriend, idly spotting that he still had all of the buttons on his uniform blazer, "Huh…I thought the girls in our class would've mobbed you for those. How'd you keep em all?"

The smirking young man tapped his forehead, "You underestimate my power. I am far more than a match for the likes of them."

Naru sighed and shook her head, "I KNEW letting you watch Episode III was a bad idea…nerd!"

The two laughed before setting off again together on their final tour of campus. Seeing that they were alone, Naru took Keitaro's left arm and pulled it to her, leaning her head against his shoulder contentedly. The Mononobe heir chuckled at her behavior before planting a quick kiss on the top of her head, earning him a giggle.

"Did you ever think," Naru began as they headed down a path filled with newly planted flowers, "That we'd end up like this after we first met?"

"To be honest, I didn't. I didn't see myself entering a relationship with anyone," Keitaro replied honestly, "least of all the most sought after girl in our school."

Naru wrinkled her nose a bit, "Ugh…don't remind me. Right after we were let out, this one guy just came out of nowhere and confessed…what was his name again? Kentaro, I think?"

"Oh, Sakata? Huh…I'm surprised he never tried sooner," Keitaro mused. He knew of the rather spoiled young man since their junior year. He had always made a spectacle of how well off he was. The Mononobe heir immediately placed Kentaro under the "Avoid at all costs" tab of his acquaintances…he didn't need the headache.

"He said something about wanting to date me earlier, but that I was always around 'that rough-looking Urashima kid', so he thought we were a thing back then" Naru replied, brushing an errant thread of hair from her face, "No surprise, seeing that we did hang out a lot. It was like having my own little bodyguard."

Keitaro gave her a dry side-glance, "Riiiiight…"

The lovely girl laughed before letting go of the young man's arm and facing him, "Anyway, I should probably go find my family. I think they're around here somewhere."

Keitaro nodded, "You do that then. I'll go look for my folks too. Meet up later?"

"Mhmm!" Naru said before almost leaping at Keitaro and stealing a kiss from his lips. The two stayed that way for only a few tender seconds before Naru let go and ran off with a wave to find her family. Alone once more, Keitaro sighed and looked up through the blooming cherry blossom trees at the sky, "I really wish you could have been here for this…Tou-san…Kaa-san…Saya-chan…You always talked about seeing me grow and take the next steps into manhood."

A soft wind gently blew across him, almost as if the dearly departed had heard him and meant to comfort him. Savoring the sensation, the lone Mononobe continued to wander aimlessly on campus, reflecting on all he had done…and all that he still had to do.

* * *

"Man this blows," Ranmaru whined as he and his brothers continued to walk around the high school campus. The main ceremony had ended a while ago, and now the new graduates were mingling with each other, taking pictures, signing yearbooks, and gleefully chatting about the schools they got into. During that time, the Tachibana triplets had made their rounds, scoping out who looked prettiest…or rather Ranmaru was doing the scoping. Rikimaru looked around with indifference, while Ichimaru seemed content with just admiring the beautiful weather.

"What's the matter Ran, this little scouting trip of yours not what you thought it would be?" Rikimaru teased, much to the annoyance of his younger brother, "I honestly don't see the point…you're the son of an Imperial Guardian, you could just order one of the maids back at the house to blow you if you really need to get off that bad."

Ichimaru chuckled, "Maybe he's too tired of how easy he's had it, and wants a challenge?" he glanced up at the sky, the sunlight forcing him to narrow his already slit eyes even more, "Gotta keep up the seduction skills after all. Never know when we might need 'em on a mission."

"For once he's actually right," Ranmaru mumbled, placing his hands in his pockets and taking another glance around at the crowd, "Those whores at the palace are gettin boring. I need something new…something fresh…something-"

The youngest triplet paused mid sentence, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a young girl who seemed to be a bit lost. She looked a bit younger than the triplets, possibly by a year or two, with chestnut brown hair that had a slight reddish tinge, similarly colored eyes, and a cute, heart-shaped face. She was dressed in slightly worn sneakers, a frilly green skirt that went to the top of her knees, and a white blouse under a teal vest tied with a blue ribbon. Her hair was split into two pig tails, with more blue ribbons tying the hair into place. All in all, she was definitely a step above what the triplets had seen so far.

"….Guys, I'll be right back," Ranmaru said quickly before following after the girl, a predatory grin coming over his face. Seeing that look on his brother, Rikimaru huffed and turned to head back to the courtyard, "Well, there he goes. I'm out of here. Are you coming, Ichi?"

"Yea, I'd rather not get caught up in whatever he has planned," Ichimaru said with a fox-like leer aimed at where he saw Ranmaru and his target disappear, "I'm meeting up with pops in a bit too, so I should get back soon anyway."

Heedless of his brothers' departure, Ranmaru slowly stalked the lost-looking young girl until they reached the other side of the school. There was a section of the building where it was divided by a dip in the wall, creating a small, dark alley. Picking up a rock, the Tachibana threw it at a garbage can, startling the girl and making her turn away from the wall to see what made the noise. Using his incredible speed, Ranmaru silently ran along the wall, above the girl, and into the alley way that she was about to pass. Ducking into the darkness, he didn't have to wait long before the now skittish girl passed by.

"Hmph…way too easy," he whispered just before he quickly grabbed the girls arm and pushed her further into the alley, "Well, well, what do we have here?"

The girl screeched, turning wide frightened eyes to the boy that had pulled her into the dark alley, "W-W-Who are you?! Wh-Wh-What do you w-want?!"

"And here we go with the stupid questions," Ranmaru replied snidely, "Fine, I'll bite. You're really cute. I'm really bored. We're all alone. Get the picture yet, or should I keep going?"

The girl tried to run past him, only for him to grab her by the collar of her blouse and roughly push her against a wall, a kunai appearing in his other hand before holding it to her neck, "Now now…that was a little mean, don't ya think? Especially after all the trouble I went through…now be a good little bunny, ok?"

The terrified girl let off another shriek, but it was cut off when Ranmaru quickly moved his hand from her shirt to her mouth, "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?"

He threw the girl to the ground, her blouse and vest tearing off from the force and leaving her on the ground in just a pink bra and her skirt. Ranmaru gazed hungrily down at her as he advanced slowly.

"…guess we're doing this the hard way then!"

* * *

Keitaro's ears perked up when he heard something that sounded like a young girl's frightened shriek. Thanks to his deep mental musings, the Mononobe heir never even realized he had walked all the way to the rear side of the school. The muffled cry, however, was enough to shock him back into reality.

'_What the hell was that?'_ he thought as he used a pulse of ki to scan the area around him. The area around him was rather vacant, with a few trees, a couple of dumpsters, and the far side of the school where one of the emergency exits was, along with an alley created by the dip in the school building. It was there that his scans picked up something terrifying.

"You can't be serious!" he cursed as he made a dash for the alley. Once he arrived, the avenger came upon a scene that made his blood boil.

A reddish-brown haired girl was in tears, her pink bra now shredded so much it exposed her developing B-cup breasts, her green skirt also in tatters. She peered up frightened at her assailant, who was twirling his kunai with one finger.

"Now…comes the real fun part," Ranmaru whispered as he advanced again on his victim. Before he could make three steps, however, a powerful hand gripped his shoulder hard and literally hurled him out of the alley, the boy only stopping when his back smashed against one of the dumpsters.

"…you pathetic, disgusting piece of garbage…" Keitaro hissed as he slowly walked out of the alley. Ranmaru coughed, gingerly getting back to his feet before fixing the older man with a harsh glare.

"Who the FUCK do you think you are?!" he nearly shouted, "Do you have ANY idea who you're fucking with?!"

Keitaro took a closer look at the boy in front of him, taking note of his wild red hair that stuck up like billowing flames, the purple overcoat he wore over his clothes with the emperor's vigil, and his angry amber eyes.

'_I know him…he was one of the targets in the profile,'_ the avenger had to fight the manic grin that threatened to come over his face, _'Ranmaru Tachibana, youngest triplet son of Minato Tachibana…well isn't this my lucky day!'_

Unaware of the thoughts going through the other man's head, Ranmaru stood upright, fighting the burning pain in his back from the impact, "I guess you figured it out, huh? That's right, I'm an Imperial Guardian! See how bad you just fucked up now?!"

Keitaro didn't move an inch, his brown hair blocking his eyes from view. Taking it as a sign of fear, Ranmaru chuckled, "Ah fuck it. Tell ya what…I'm feeling a little generous today. If you leave now, and swear to tell no one about what you saw, I'll spare your life. What do you say?"

"Interesting offer," Keitaro began, a dangerous edge lining his voice, "I'll do you one better. If you turn yourself in now, I won't put you into an early grave."

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Ranmaru screamed, flipping the kunai in his hand into a backwards grip, "Don't say I didn't try to give you an out!"

Using an impressive burst of speed, the young Tachibana dashed towards Keitaro, bringing his kunai up for a slash to the throat. Just when the blade was about to connect, the Mononobe heir tilted back slightly, the tip of the weapon barely missing the skin. Shocked, but undaunted, Ranmaru continued to deliver a series of fast slashes and strikes at random. Keitaro smirked as he dodged every blow by the narrowest margins.

"Hold still you bastard!" Ranmaru upped the speed of his strikes, but none of them scored even a glancing blow on Keitaro, _'Who the fuck IS this guy?!'_

'_I think I've toyed with him enough,'_ Keitaro suddenly grabbed Ranmaru's kunai arm by the wrist, stopping the boy in his tracks. The Tachibana tried to pull his arm out of the older man's grip, but the avenger's grip was like a steel vice. Smirking viciously, Keitaro lifted the would-be rapist into the air by his arm, and swung him into the side of the dumpster. Ranmaru screamed in pain as he felt his chest smack into the unforgiving steel, not hard enough to break anything, but enough that the would-be-rapist felt his ribs compress dangerously. Relishing in the boy's pain, Keitaro decided to end it and threw Ranmaru into the wall leading to the alley. The Tachibana's head smacked into the wall with a dull thud, knocking him out instantly while his body slid to the floor leaving a small trail of blood on the wall.

'_Well…that was quick,'_ Keitaro rotated his shoulder and walked up to the vulnerable Ranmaru. Eyeing the kunai on the floor next to the boy's hand, the avenger felt his cursed ki flare up, almost as if it was calling out to him to take the boy's life.

'_I could end him right now…I was going to save him for later, but this is a golden opportunity-'_

"EEEP!"

Keitaro whirled around, ready to bolt the scene when he saw the victimized young girl holding onto the wall only a couple feet away, her wide brown eyes fearfully staring at him. Letting out a sigh, the landlord slowly walked over and knelt in front of the girl, "It's ok. He won't hurt you ever again."

The girl flinched, almost as if she was prepared to run, but Keitaro gave her his best reassuring look, while simultaneously suppressing his evil ki once again, _'Can't do anything while she's here…better make sure she's ok first. There'll be other chances...'_

The young girl stood still for a moment, tears still streaming down her face, before running and wrapping her arms around Keitaro's neck while she cried, finally overcome by disgust, fear, and anguish over what had happened, and what _would_ have happened if her assailant hadn't been stopped. The landlord held her gently, rubbing her bare back to comfort her, "That's it…just let it all out now…you're going to be just fine."

* * *

Keitaro rubbed at his eyes as he walked through the entrance of Hinata-sou, his mind heavy with the events of the day. After calming the strangely familiar young girl for a bit longer, he gave her his blazer to protect her modesty and escorted her to the nearest police booth a couple of blocks away from the school. He had also dragged the still-unconscious Ranmaru behind him, not willing to take any risks in case he tried to escape. After dropping them both off and explaining what happened to the policemen at the booth, the landlord disappeared before the two officers could take his name.

"I'm glad I got away so fast…the last thing I need is the police snooping around me right now," he said to himself as he reached his room. As he changed out of his outfit and into his casual gi and hakama, his phone suddenly started buzzing. Puzzled, he picked it up and cursed when he saw it was Naru.

'_Shit! I was supposed to meet up with her before we came back! I hope she's not too mad,'_ he accepted the call and said a silent prayer before answering, "Hey, Naru-chan. What's up-"

"Keitaro-kun…" Keitaro's eyes narrowed at the halting, broken tone in his girlfriend's voice, "…are you still at the school?"

"No…something came up and I had to come back in a hurry," he replied, "I'm really sorry, I meant to call you but-"

"It's alright…" the brown-haired girl sniffled, "Listen…I'm not gonna be home for a couple days…something happened with my family, and I…I have to be with them for a bit…"

Keitaro narrowed his eyes in concern, "Are you ok? Is your family alright, Naru-chan?"

"…I'll tell you when I get back…I'll see you in a few days."

"Wait! Naru-cha-" Keitaro called out, but the phone line suddenly went off, leaving the avenger wondering what could have happened to hurt his girlfriend so much.

'_Naru-chan…I hope whatever it is, isn't too serious…'_

* * *

Three days passed without a single word from Naru, and Keitaro was beginning to get increasingly nervous. After the abrupt end to his last call to her, the landlord went about telling the girls that their housemate would be out for a few days to visit her family. While they were concerned for their fellow dorm member and friend, the girls took the news at face value, although Kitsune did try to tease more details out of Keitaro. Her attempts were thwarted by Motoko, who dragged the woman off while scolding her about 'tempting the bestial urges of a man with her jokes'.

Ever since then, the household was on edge, waiting with baited breath for Naru to return. Everyone's mood seemed to take a hit, with even Kitsune cutting down on her jokes substantially…something Keitaro was secretly grateful for.

The afternoon of the third day, the young landlord decided to do some meditation in his room, as a way to calm his thoughts as well as regain his center. He hadn't tried to call Naru again after that day, afraid that he would be intruding on what he believed was a private matter. It didn't help his anxiety over her well-being, however.

_'...Naru-chan...'_

He was brought out of his mental musings when he sensed a familiar ki enter the area of the dorm, followed by the front door slamming open and a piercing shriek of despair echoing throughout the lobby. Quickly getting to his feet, the landlord rushed downstairs with bokken in hand, clueless as to what he would find, but preparing himself for anything.

The Mononobe heir was met with the scene of a weeping Naru, kneeling on the ground while Kitsune held her to her chest, rocking back and forth slowly to calm her down. Motoko came down the stairs next, also armed and stood next to Keitaro until she realized the situation, and ran over to kneel next to the distraught young woman, "Naru-sempai! What's wrong?! What happened?!"

Keitaro felt a slight pull on his hakama, and looked down to spot Suu and Shinobu lightly clutching him. Suu was unusually quiet, a look of concern on her normally upbeat face, while Shinobu looked scared, having never seen Naru so utterly distraught before.

"S-S-Sempai…what happened to Naru-sempai?" she whispered, Suu glancing up at the man as well. Kitsune and Motoko continued to try and calm their friend down in the meantime, also trying to ask what had happened, but to no avail.

"…I don't know, Shinobu chan…but I'll try to find out," Keitaro replied before walking over and stopping just a foot in front of the bawling girl. Kneeling down to her level, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him abruptly, "Naru-chan…what happened to you?"

Without warning, Naru threw herself at the landlord, only his training preventing them from falling to the ground. Renewed tears preceded even more sobbing, before she finally calmed down enough to get out a few words

"…my sister…Mei…she…she was…she was…"

Her next few words cast a haunting chill over the room, and as she continued to divulge what had occurred over the past three days, Keitaro found it harder and harder to control the cursed ki that flowed through his veins.

* * *

"So the bastard almost raped your girlfriend's younger sister, and the cops let him off with just a slap on the wrists because of his position…politics fucking suck in this country."

Keitaro heard Kimiko spit on the ground in disgust over the phone before she continued, "That is...that is absolutely terrible. As if what he and his fuckface brothers did days ago wasn't enough…!"

The landlord fought the urge to growl. Naru had explained how her sister had been brought to a police booth by an as-of-yet unidentified savior, and her family had been called over to get her. However, by the time they had arrived, the assailant, who had been brought unconscious to the booth as well, had been released. A day later, Naru's parents received word that the police refused to pursue the case, despite the overwhelming evidence. Naru's father had nearly had a heart attack, while her mother instead focused on holding her youngest daughter and trying to calm her. Mei was so afraid, she refused to step outside without her parents or her older sister, even going so far as to refuse to attend school.

"I'm going to need everything you have on that little bastard, Kimiko," the landlord hissed, his grip tightening on his cell to the point of nearly cracking it.

"Right…well from what I was able to gather, he hasn't done much around the city, save for his partying. Despite being underage, his status as the son of an Imperial Guardian grants him virtual immunity from the law. So long as he doesn't harm anyone important, the police won't touch him."

Keitaro banged a fist on the wall in frustration, "Tell me something I don't know! My girlfriend was bawling her eyes out for hours, her sister's too afraid to go outside and her parents are cracking to pieces trying to keep everything together! Give me something I can use, dammit!"

Kimiko was silent for a moment before finally replying, "There is one thing…he recently purchased a club in downtown Tokyo. Some hip new placed called _Tensai_. For the past couple of weeks, he's been trying to fill out the staff before its opening night in another week or two."

"Well…that does sound useful…" Keitaro mused, calming down somewhat with the new information. Kimiko continued, "Unfortunately, I've been assigned another guard detail, so me and my little drones can't get much reconnaissance done of the place. You may have to infiltrate on your own somehow, and learn whatever else you think you need to know before you strike."

"Understood. I'll figure something out," he replied before pausing, "….and Kimiko…..thanks."

Kimiko's eyes widened, "…What did you just say?"

Before she could inquire further, Keitaro hung up, not up to dealing with her teasing at the moment. Heading to his small desk, the landlord sat down and booted up his laptop. Activating the browser, he searched for the club Kimiko had mentioned.

'_She said it was called Tensai…here it is,' _he entered the website, and quickly spotted the ads for job openings, _'Kimiko wasn't kidding about the applications. I'll look into this later.'_

Shutting down the laptop, the landlord rose to his feet and left the room. Heading downstairs, he saw Kitsune sitting on a chair next to the sofa, where Naru had passed out from exhaustion after crying for so long. Motoko had long since put the other girls to bed, both of whom were either confused or shell-shocked after hearing what nearly befell Mei. Hearing him approach, Kitsune turned her head up while continuing to gently stroke Naru's hair, "Well hey, strangeh. Didn't think you were still awake."

"I thought you'd be out cold by now," Keitaro replied before kneeling in front of the girl, taking note of the redness around her eyes, "How is she?"

"Still asleep…poor thing must've cried the whole way here," the buxom woman sighed sadly, staring at the sleeping girl piteously, "I still can't believe it…that…that _monster_ actually got away with doing what he did to Mei….poor, sweet, innocent little Mei…"

It was Kitsune's turn to let the tears fall, her sobs silent, but still profound, "I've known that little girl since she first moved in with Naru after their folks got hitched…not a bad bone in her body…and this…_this_ is what happens to her? How….how messed up IS that…?!"

Keitaro leaned forward and hugged Kitsune's head to his chest while she silently wept, the anger he had tried to keep in check almost bursting at the seams, "You're right…it isn't fair. That bastard deserves to pay for what he did…"

Making a decision, Keitaro withdrew and stood up, earning a questioning glance from the resident fox, "I have to make a call…I'll be right back."

Seeing the older woman nod, the landlord headed down the hall, wisps of red ki wafting off him like a repressed flame. Pulling out his phone, he dialed in one of his contacts and waited for a reply.

'…_I've waited long enough…Ranmaru Tachibana…I will_ **destroy**_ you_…_I swear it on Mei's honor...!__' _his eyes blazed red as the person he dialed picked up on the other end.

"Good evening, Kyoshiro-sama! How may I help you?"

"Arata-san…I was wondering about that new _toy_ of yours that we spoke about a while ago…"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Greetings again everyone. I know my apologies for taking so long must be getting old by now, but I'll probably continue to give them anyway. It's been a really rough couple months, made more so by the recent passing of my mother. Because of this, everything's been tossed for a loop.

Rest assured though, I am NOT giving up on this for anything. I have the next chapter almost ready and the others in the outline stages, so don't you worry. I'm gonna see this thru to the end.

So now Ranmaru done fucked up, and he woke the dragon. Next chapter, someone finally gets what's coming to them...and believe me when I say it's gonna get nasty.

Big thanks again to my beta Cloud Link Zero. Your ideas and enthusiasm continue to bring out the best in me and my writing.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. Time to get back to work. Ciph signin out.


	12. Return of the Red Demon

**Chapter 11 – Return of the Red Demon**

* * *

"Hurry up, boys!" shouted a burly looking man dressed in heavily soiled chef's smocks as he oversaw two teams of about a dozen junior chefs hard at work, "The big boss' birthday bash is gonna be the biggest party we've had yet, and I want everything to be PERFECT! With a capital P!"

"UHS!" the chefs cried out jubilantly as they set to work preparing various dishes and culinary delights for the rather prominent guests they would be hosting within a couple days. All around the spacious kitchen the cooks buzzed about, skinning poultry, frying rice, preparing sushi. Seeing his teams of juniors working so diligently brought a huge grin to the head cook's face. Glancing down to the end, he spotted one brown-haired chef frying a mix of peppers and cucumbers in a sizzling pan. Walking over to him, the larger man put a gentle hand on the chef's shoulder, "I gotta admit _gaki_, your work's been pretty impressive, especially for someone that's only been working this kitchen for a week!"

"You flatter me too much, sempai," the chef blushed a bit as he continued working on his dish, "I'm just good with making simple stuff. I still haven't thanked you enough for taking me on so late…I know my application was a bit rushed-"

"Nonsense, Urashima-kun!" the head cook waved off the younger man's words, "You had one hell of a demo! You and your friend that you recommended! He is coming later tonight, right? I have some really good news for him!"

Keitaro nodded, "Yes sir! He told me he would be running a little late, but that he would get here for sure."

Nodding in content, the gruff-looking man walked off, "Good! I think he'll really like what I have to say. Anyway, once you're done, you're free to head home. I think we'll be in good hands for the next couple days!"

"Thank you sempai!" Keitaro bowed, before turning back to his dish and finishing the last of his preparations. After dumping it into a plate, he picked it up and handed it off to his section's overseer before heading to the locker area where the chefs kept their belongings during work hours. Sighing in relief, he removed his duffel bag filled with a change of clothes and quickly removed his slightly dirty chef's outfit, replacing it with a pair of baggy black jeans, a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, a sleeveless version of his favorite Shinsengumi _haori_, and comfortable black sneakers. Brushing through his hair with is hand, the landlord quickly locked up his chef's ware and headed through the front, opting to walk through the cavernous main floor of the club. On the inside, _Tensai_ was obnoxiously huge, with a sizable main dance floor, three bars (two on the sides of the dance floor and one right in the middle), and a balcony level that encircled the first floor several feet above. At the front was a large stage where DJs from around the world came to entertain crowds of hundreds, thousands if they were big enough names.

Passing across the floor, Keitaro took note of a hallway next to the bar on the right. He knew from earlier reconnaissance that the hallway led upstairs to a series of private rooms for the more high profile guests…including his next target.

'_I can't believe it took a week to scope this place out, but it was definitely worth the effort,'_ he thought as he left through the main entrance, making sure the security camera at the front didn't catch his image. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, the Mononobe heir then dashed into a deserted alley a couple blocks away from the infamous club.

There wasn't much in the alley except for two garbage cans and a small amount of litter on the floor. Making a beeline for one of the garbage cans, Keitaro lifted the lid, revealing a second duffel bag. Wasting no time, he removed the bag and opened it, revealing another set of clothes, his mask and red wig from Kanako, and a strange metallic disk the size of a half-dollar.

It didn't take long for the landlord to switch outfits and place on the mask and wig, now dressed in a faded grey hoodie, black t-shirt, and dark sweats with black sneakers. Reaching down into the now empty bag, Keitaro picked up the metal disk, pressing down on a tiny button before carefully putting it into his mouth as far back as he could without triggering his gag reflex.

"Testing, testing," he spoke softly, his voice now a slightly deeper baritone than before, "Perfect…guess this thing _doesn't_ malfunction like the rest of her inventions."

Soon after hiding his other bag and belongings, the disguised avenger made his way back to the restaurant and easily found the head cook again. Putting on a light-hearted grin, he tapped the larger man on the shoulder, "Sempai! Himura Tenchi reporting for duty!"

The burly man looked over his shoulder and grinned at the sight of the new comer, "Himura-kun! It's about damn time you got here, ya lil bastard! C'mere, we gotta talk real quick!"

Taking the young man by the shoulder, the head cook guided him off to the side, away from the earshot of the others, "So I gave a few samples of your custom dishes to the big boss the other day, and he was blown outta his mind! Lemme tell ya, that's already pretty tough to do, especially when he's in a bad mood."

'Tenchi's' eyes widened in surprise, "You serious?! You don't mean-"

"That's right kid! Ranmaru-sama himself requested that you be put in charge of his food preparation and presentation for his party in three days. Congratulations!"

'Tenchi' could barely believe it, only numbly remembering to bow in thanks, "I-I-I won't let you down, sempai!"

"I know you won't! Now get in there and start preppin up! I can't wait to see Ranmaru-sama's face at the end of the party!"

As the giddy older man walked off, he missed the dark look that came over 'Tenchi's' face as he rose back up, or the slight reddening of his eyes.

'…_sorry sempai…but no one's gonna see Ranmaru's face after that party ever again…'_

* * *

It was close to 11pm when Keitaro finally ascended the steps leading to Hinata-sou. The landlord was exhausted, but to him, it was a small price to pay for all the progress he'd made. As he walked through the doorway and set his shoes off to the side, he could make out the distinctive voices of Naru and Kitsune coming from the lobby.

"Dammit girl! You've been hittin the book since 3 this afternoon! It's almost midnight for Buddha's sake! Go to sleep!"

"I'm FINE Kitsune! Just let me get back to work!"

"Not when all that work has you skippin meals and barely gettin any rest!"

"Why do you care anyway?! It's not like what I'm doing is hurting you!"

"No, but it's hurtin YOU!"

Sighing to himself, the landlord made his way into the main room, where he found his two tenants bickering, a stack of several text books and notes surrounding the younger of the two on the dining room table. Noticing the tell-tale signs of an imminent Naru-Tantrum, he cleared his throat to announce himself.

"Tadaima! And what the hell are you two still doing up at this hour?"

Both girls looked over to the door immediately, one with a large grin and the other with a tired, but sincere smile, "Taro-chan!/Hey Keitaro-san."

"Is everything ok? I heard yelling all the way from the entrance," Keitaro asked as he placed his duffel bags on the ground to give his shoulder a break. The resident fox pointed at her best friend with an annoyed look on her face, "As a matter o fact, things are NOT ok! Tell this girl to take a break already! She's runnin herself ragged and it ain't helpin anybody!"

"I keep telling you to butt out, Kitsune!" Naru countered, quickly rising from her seat with her fists clenched at her sides, "What I do and how I spend my day isn't your problem!"

Keitaro quickly interjected himself between the two, "Hey, that's enough! Both of you need to calm down a bit," he gently pushed the two away from each other before continuing, "Oni-Kitsune, why don't you head on up first? Cool off for a bit before you say something you'll regret."

The fox woman raised an eyebrow at the man, but ultimately conceded, "Fine…I know when I'm beat. But what she's doin ain't gonna make the situation any better with her family, least of all her sister. Talk some sense into her please, Taro-chan."

"I'll try," he promised, allowing the older woman to hug him before she headed up to bed. Realizing he was now alone with the brown-haired girl, her turned back to face her, "…so is what she said true? Have you really been burning the midnight candle and barely eating?"

Naru huffed and sat back down at the table, "I keep telling her and the others to butt out, I don't need anyone's help, Mr. Fix-It."

Keitaro shook his head and pulled up a chair next to her, "I'm not even going to pretend I can imagine what you are going through right now. But you do know that harming yourself like this won't help anyone…least of all Mei-"

"I KNOW THAT DAMMIT! BUT WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO TO?!" Naru screamed, the power in her voice nearly throwing Keitaro out of his seat. He paused, his chest beginning to tighten, when he noticed the stream of tears falling from his secret-girlfriend's eyes, "…Naru-chan…"

"Every day…every day I call home to talk to her," she whispered, fighting to keep her sobs in, "She hasn't left her room…she won't go to school…she's so petrified of what's out there…especially after we heard that they just LET THAT FUCKING MONSTER GO!"

The landlord narrowed his eyes at that. Hearing of Ranmaru's release to the public after only a day, as well as the refusal of the Hinata Police to pursue a case against him, had been a devastating blow to Naru and her family. While his mind had been mainly focused on his reconnaissance over the past week, he could still remember the sight of the beautiful girl that night she returned to Hinata-sou, how broken and lost she had seemed after learning that her little sister's assailant was set free due to his connections. He'd had a very hard time explaining the issue to Shinobu and Suu, who were present at Naru's breakdown. The Mononobe heir even had to physically stop Motoko from going out and exacting her own brand of vengeance against the Tachibana scion. He absently took note of the Aoyama heir's extreme reaction upon hearing it was a Tachibana of all people who was responsible for the assault. It was something he would have to discuss with her at a later date.

"Seriously…just because he's from an ancient clan that happens to guard the emperor…he can just get off like that?!" by now, Naru's body was shaking with repressed sobs, the girl shrinking into herself in an effort to contain everything, "What kind of justice is that?! How can people be so…so…"

Wasting no time, Keitaro hugged the girl into his chest, and Naru, feeling the warmth and security of his arms, finally let go of her restraints. She wailed until her voice was hoarse, cried until her tears ran dry. The whole time, Keitaro held her close, softly rubbing her hair and rocking back and forth with her in an effort to console her. Subconsciously, his cursed ki began to rise as his rage at the boy who hurt someone so close to the girl he cared so much for rose like a geyser.

"He'll pay," he whispered, the girl in his arms unaware of her boyfriend's words as she had fallen asleep moments ago, completely spent from her venting, "Mark my words, Naru-chan…he'll pay…"

Unbeknownst to either of the two, a pair of stormy grey eyes observed the scene from the hallway, before turning away after hearing the landlord's vow.

'…_I wonder just how you plan on making good on your word, Urashima-san…but for now, I will leave Naru-sempai to you…'_

* * *

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BUDDHA-FORSAKEN MIND?!"

Ranmaru stared unflinchingly at his father as the larger man glared at him with rage, "Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is, pops. I'll be surrounded by my crew, plus a couple of our own regular guards."

Minato fought the urge to facepalm as he looked at his youngest triplet in disbelief. The two were currently in the dojo of their compound, the elder Tachibana having taken his son for extra training, as well as to try and dissuade him of his 'grand idea': a birthday celebration at his exclusive club _Tensai_ in a couple days.

"You really don't get what you're doing, do you?!" the grizzled man shook his head before pointing at the young Tachibana, "Despite the fact that our men on the police force just BARELY managed to clean up your clusterfuck with that civilian girl a little while ago, news _still_ got out about your little side activity! Not to mention, it's been almost 3 months since Amagai and his family were killed! That assassin is due to strike again and YOU just made yourself a fucking TARGET!"

Ranmaru scoffed, "Amagai-jisan just got caught with his pants down. If he'd known about that asshole, he would've finished him, no problem. Hell, way I see it, we could probably use this chance to flush out the bastard and slice his throat open in public," the boy glared at the ground, his fist clenching by his side, "That'd teach him and anyone else stupid enough to fuck with us."

"What makes you think no one in the clan's tried that before, Ran?"

Both men looked over to see Akisora leaning against the entrance to the room with his arms crossed, the boy garbed in training clothes with a few dirt stains. The younger brother of Kurotora sighed as he continued, "You probably don't know this, but after Ai-obasan and Mamoru-jisan were murdered, Tomoko-obasan tried to set a trap for that slippery bastard."

"Tomoko-obasan? Seriously?" Ranmaru chuckled grimly, "That actually does sound like something she'd do…"

"Tomoko-chan was the cleverest out of all of us…and I mean ALL of us," Minato reminisced, a hurt expression coming over his face as he was bombarded with memories of his beloved cousin, "She set the mother of all traps for the fucker. Got all the right people, set up the perfect scenario…hell, if it had been meant for any of us, we would've been killed for sure."

Ranmaru looked back to his father, "Well, obviously it didn't work…she still got herself and her family killed anyway."

Akisora shot a pointed glare at the young boy, "That's right…she WAS still killed. Tomoko-obasan's death was the most gruesome, vile, and horrendous assassination of them all…but what made her murder stick out the most was because of one, incomprehensible fact."

"That assassin…he somehow got wind of the whole thing and _flipped_ her own trap on her," Minato's voice was almost a whisper as he recalled every detail of that terrible day, "He somehow managed to con all of the mercenaries she'd hired, sabotage all the traps…and then he got to her in her own panic room…and then he…he…"

The room went silent as Minato shook with barely restrained fury. Seeing his uncle unable to continue, Akisora picked up where he left off, "Suffice to say, if Tomoko-obasan of _all_ people, could be murdered in such a way after setting that kind of trap, then _your_ chances of success are rather non-existent. I think it would be best if you called this whole thing off, Ran."

The obstinate boy growled, "Fuck that shit! I've been planning this party for months, and I'll be damned if I let some 'ghost assassin' mess that up for me!"

Before either Minato or Akisora could get another word in, Ranmaru stormed from the dojo, retreating back to his room. As he slammed the door, he heard a familiar voice from off to the side, "So I guess father was unable to persuade you to cancel your plans for our birthday?"

"Lemme guess…you're the one that told him about it, Rikimaru?" the younger triplet accused, only narrowing his eyes when he saw his older brother nod once, "You fucking traitor."

"This whole party idea stinks and you know it, Ran," the taciturn triplet continued, "We all know that assassin is gearing up to strike any day now, biding his time, and probably selecting a new target…if he hasn't found one already because you decided to think with your balls _again_."

The younger boy angrily punched the wall of his room, "How many fucking times do I have to say I'm sorry for that bullshit?! Damn it, it was just ONE civvie chick! No one would've even heard about it if it wasn't for that brown-haired bastard!"

"Right…the brown haired bastard that _beat you effortlessly_!" Rikimaru emphasized, earning another glare, "The fact that some unknown was able to come out of nowhere and defeat you so soundly, without taking ANY damage himself, says a lot. For all we know, _he_ could be the assassin and probably used that whole incident to put a bullseye on your head!"

"Tch, now you're just being paranoid," Ranmaru dismissed before grabbing a bag from the side of his bed and putting on his jacket, "Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get the rest of this stuff to _Tensai_. The head cook said that the chef that's gonna service me needs a few high-end supplies, and it's not like mom's gonna use em anytime soon."

"We're not done here, Ranmaru!" Rikimaru reached out to grab his brother's shoulder, but the younger triplet slipped away from his grip and left the room. The older brother rushed to the hallway, but by then, the stubborn Tachibana was long gone.

"DAMMIT, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Rikimaru slammed a fist against the wall of the hallway, scaring some of the servants milling around. Sighing, he rubbed his slightly throbbing hand and headed to the dojo, intent on letting off some steam.

Around the corner of the hall, Ichimaru stood with a frown on his face, having seen the entire altercation between his brothers. Shaking his head, he made his way back to his own room, a hollow feeling of dread welling up in his chest.

'…_I got a REALLY bad feeling about this…'_

* * *

"Sempai, I think I got it!"

Keitaro looked across the dining room table at Shinobu's workbook, his eyes carefully going over the bluenette's work, "Hmmm…definitely looks that way. Good job, Shinobu-chan! And to think you said you wouldn't be able to get it."

The young girl blushed, "W-Well, it was really hard to understand in c-class…I-I guess I just needed to go over it a little more…"

"I keep telling you to have more faith in yourself, Shinobu-chan. You're smarter than you think," the landlord complimented, before taking out something from his pocket and looking over at Suu on the couch, "And Suu, I found this outside of your room. Were you pranking people in school again?"

The hyperactive foreigner looked up and saw a metallic disc-like object in the older man's hand, "Waaa! You found Suu's Voice Modulator 3000! Suu's been looking all over for it!"

Keitaro chuckled and tossed the disc over to the girl, who caught it quickly, "You should be more careful where you leave your toys, Suu. You never know what could happen to them."

"I doubt that someone would even know how to work that strange device if they found it somewhere," Motoko said as she let out a small sigh, "Still, you should heed Urashima-san's warning, Suu."

"Aww…Suu promises to be more careful," the girl looked down at the ground despondently, a small gray cloud forming over her head. It disappeared as quickly as it came when Keitaro rubbed a hand through Suu's blonde hair, "No need to get all depressed. We just want you to be more careful with your stuff."

Motoko glared at the older man, "If you keep coddling her like that instead of being more strict, she will never truly take your words to heart, Urashima-san."

"She's just a kid. Kids make mistakes all the time," Keitaro countered, earning a grin from the dark-skinned girl, "I'm sure you were the same when you were growing up, weren't you, Aoyama-san?"

The kendo girl blushed, although whether it was from embarrassment or rage, no one could say. Before she could refute the older man's words, the bell from the lobby chimed throughout the building, signaling a guest had arrived.

"Huh…I wasn't expecting company today," Keitaro wondered before looking over to Shinobu, "Were you expecting anyone, Shinobu-chan?"

Shinobu shook her head, "N-No Sempai. I was p-planning on just studying and preparing dinner today."

Motoko narrowed her eyes, "I was not made aware that we would be entertaining company today either. I will go answer it."

"Don't scare whoever it is away, Aoyama-san!"

The Aoyama heir growled to herself at the landlord's jibe at her, vowing to make him suffer for his insults and jokes the next time they sparred. Opening the door, the tall girl was met with the sight of a very well dressed older man standing with a strange metal box in his hands.

"Good evening," she began, remembering to use manners with the significantly older gentleman, "Welcome to Hinata-sou. How may I help you?"

"Ah, good evening, and I apologize for the late visit," the man began in a rich voice, his eyes containing a bit of surprise, "I was wondering if Urashima Keitaro-san was in? I was told he was the acting landlord at this dormitory."

'_Urashima-san said he __**wasn't**__ expecting guests,'_ the girl recalled, _'but I don't sense any ill intent from this man…'_

"Urashima-san is in the lobby. Please, come in," Motoko gestured for the man to enter, which he did after slightly bowing in thanks. The two made their way to the living room, where Keitaro nearly jumped out of his seat at the sight of the older man.

"Kishimoto-jiji!? What are you doing here?" the landlord asked as he tried his hardest not to look caught off guard.

The elderly man laughed as he made his way over to the gob-smacked young man, "Good to see you too, Keitaro-san! You look well!"

Keitaro immediately bowed in deference, a slight blush on his cheeks, "O-Of course, it's an honor to have you in my home, Kishimoto-jisan! P-Please, follow me."

Kishimoto chuckled as he followed the younger man upstairs. Motoko's eyes narrowed as she observed the exchange, sensing that something was slightly off with the landlord's behavior.

'…_that was rather odd. He seemed stranger than normal,'_ she thought before her musings turned to the older gentleman, _'and that man…why do I feel as though I know him from somewhere?'_

Meanwhile, the two men reached Keitaro's room, the landlord checking the hallways after entering before shutting his door. After sending out an additional pulse of ki, he turned to face his guest, "That was kind of risky, Kishimoto-jiji. She could have recognized you easily."

"Nonsense, my boy," the older man waved off, "I haven't seen or spoken to a single member of the Aoyama house in almost three years now. Ever since the one year anniversary of the massacre, they've cut contact with a lot of us at Nagareboshi for unknown reasons. This is the first time Motoko-chan has set eyes on me since she was a preteen, and I doubt her memory is _that _good."

"Nevertheless, try to be a bit more careful," Keitaro chided lightly with a resigned smile, "If Haru or Hina-obaasama ever saw you calling at this late hour, they would get suspicious."

The Nagareboshi CEO nodded before lifting a suitcase to the avenger, "I've brought the new toy you commissioned Arata-san to make. I am pretty sure he broke several accords of the Geneva Convention to craft this thing."

"It's only breaking the law if you get caught," Keitaro countered as he respectfully received the suitcase. Placing it on the table in the middle of his room, he unclicked the clasps and slowly raised the lid. Inside, sitting atop a black cushion, was a gunmetal gray sphere that looked to be made of many segments pieced together like a puzzle. It was the size of a large softball, with a small circular dial marked with white numbers like a timer. The lines marking where the different pieces of the sphere met glowed an ominous orange, pulsing every few seconds as though the device were breathing.

"It's…beautiful…" Keitaro complimented breathlessly, gently removing the sphere from the suitcase and idly noting how it weighed a bit less than he thought it would, "I don't think I've ever seen Arata-san make something like this-"

"Well doesn't that look positively _dangerous_…"

"…Hey Kimiko," Keitaro greeted with a dull tone as Kishimoto whirled around in surprise, his senses not having picked up the infamous Tachibana assassin. Kimiko giggled before waving to the older gentleman, "Long time no see, Kishimoto-san. Have you been well?"

Kishimoto placed a hand over his heart as he playfully glared at the woman, "I was just fine until you decided to take even more years off what little life I have left with that entrance. I'd appreciate a little more warning next time."

Kimiko laughed airily before playfully patting Kishimoto on the cheek, "No promises. I am an assassin after all," she then turned her attention to the malicious-looking sphere, "So…new toy, _boya_?"

"You could say that," the avenger replied before, to Kimiko's unseen surprise, handing the sphere to the assassin, "Go ahead, I'm sure you wanted to hold it as soon as you saw it."

Smirking at the younger man, Kimiko carefully lifted the device from Keitaro's hands, staring at the slightly heavy sphere in her hands, although her mind was distracted by the show of kindness from her "partner". Ever since his return from Okinawa, the avenger had been a bit less hostile towards the Tachibana assassin, and she had yet to discover the reason for his lessened aggression towards her.

She knew he would still attempt to kill her someday though. That would probably never change.

"So this is what you plan to use to silence that disgusting brat once and for all?" she asked with a bit of wonder, "It seems a little underwhelming besides the interesting light show. What does it do?"

Keitaro chuckled darkly, "Well…that would be telling. You'll just have to find out when everyone else does."

"I will say this though," Kishimoto interjected, "It won't be a pretty death…or a quick one for that monstrous young man, if what Arata-san told me was true. Fortunately, the device itself won't survive the aftermath, so it can never be traced back to us."

"That'll piss off old man Heihachi for sure," Kimiko smirked with a dark look in her eye before rounding on the young avenger, "Are you certain he'll suffer from this? That his death will be absolutely agonizing and drawn out?"

The landlord nodded, mirroring Kimiko's grim facial expression, "I'll make sure he pays for his sins…for what he did to Naru-san's sister…_and _for what he did to Riika-san."

"I appreciate it, _boya_," Kimiko replied, before taking a huge risk and hugging the young avenger. Her action caught him by surprise, and his ingrained instincts almost had him shove her off of him. However, Keitaro could feel her pain through his ki-sensing abilities, could feel her anger and hatred as it burned in her soul, so he ignored his impulses this once as he returned the embrace, shocking Kimiko yet again.

"…don't think this changes anything," the boy whispered in her ear before letting go with a smirk, the sexy redhead nodding with a small smirk of her own. Kishimoto chuckled at the scene before adjusting his coat, "Well, I think my work here is done. I should head back home before my wife starts to worry. It was good to see you again, Kimiko-chan, Keitaro-san."

Kimiko bowed respectfully, "It was good to see you too, Kishimoto-san."

"I can walk you out," Keitaro offered, but Kishimoto dismissed him with a wave of his hand, "There's no need to bother yourself, Keitaro-san. Good luck…and be careful."

The landlord nodded as he watched the older man leave before turning to Kimiko, "I'll notify you as soon as I get out of there. Things are going to get busy again, so you know what to do."

"Of course I do," Kimiko scoffed before hopping to the window, smirking one last time as she shot Keitaro a coy look, "you forget who taught _you,_ after all?"

She then leapt into the forest surrounding Hinata-sou before Keitaro could growl a response. Glaring slightly at the spot where she disappeared, he grumbled before closing the window and going about his business.

"Tch…don't remind me…"

* * *

Motoko heard the footsteps coming down the stairs, glancing over to see Kishimoto gathering himself and heading to the lobby, "Here, let me escort you, Kishimoto-san."

The older man grinned, "Why thank you, young lady. Forgive me, I don't think I caught your name…?"

"Motoko Aoyama," The kendo girl introduced with a small bow, "I hope your visit went well."

"Oh yes, me and Keitaro-san were just catching up a bit since I was in the area," Kishimoto replied calmly, "Me and his grandmother have known each other since we were children, and I have watched over that boy since he was a toddler."

Motoko nodded, filing away that information for a later date, "I see…"

The two soon reached the door, where Kishimoto placed his dress shoes back on and nodded towards the resident kendo girl, "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Aoyama-san. I leave Keitaro-san in your care."

The girl blushed madly, sputtering out a nonsensical response, "Wh-Wh-What do you m-m-m-mean?! I-I-I am in HIS care! Wait! That did not come out right either! Wh-What I meant to say was…!"

Kishimoto let out an uncharacteristically boisterous bark of laughter before taking his leave with one final wave. After a few moments, Motoko finally gathered her wits and simply growled discontentedly before heading back to the main room. Once she reached the lobby, she glanced down at the coffee table, seeing a mess of magazines jumbled all over it. Sighing again in frustration, she set about clearing them up.

"I really need to speak with Kitsune about her messy habits," Motoko vowed before something on the cover of one of the magazines caught her eye. It was an engineering magazine that Suu read from time to time, for inspiration if anything. On the cover was the title, "Nagareboshi's Global Conquest!" However, it wasn't the ostentatious headline that caught the kendo girl's attention.

Under the headline was a picture of an elderly gentleman with long gray hair in a ponytail and dressed in a very expensive looking black suit, holding his hand out with the Earth shrunken to the size of a basketball and placed in the palm of his hand. The Aoyama heiress' eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the caption beneath his hand.

**Nagareboshi CEO – Genji Kishimoto**

'_Wait a minute…it can't be!' _she thought as she recognized the same old man that she had not only minutes ago said her goodbyes to on the cover of a globally syndicated magazine. That same man that was the highest ranking member of the board of directors that led the company that belonged to the Mononobe.

The company that was supposed to go to her sempai.

'_I KNEW I recognized him from somewhere!' _Motoko harshly chided herself, _'He was a close ally of the Mononobe clan for years! But…why was he visiting Urashima-san?!'_

Her suspicions burned in her mind, the mental wildfire growing with every second, _'The way those two acted…it was like they have known each other for quite some time…but how?!'_

More questions began to pop into the confused young girl's head, all of them aimed towards the one thing she sought to figure out more than anything.

'_Urashima-san,' _she glared up the stairs, her hands clenched into tight fists at her side, _'Just who in the world __**are**__ you!?'_

* * *

A sigh of pleasure echoed throughout the darkened living room in the private residence of one Kimiko Tachibana, the owner splayed out on a luxurious sofa, garbed only in a thin black yukata that ended above mid-thigh and barely covered her naked form underneath. The beautiful woman's hair was slightly matted down with sweat, the perspiration also causing the yukata to stick to her in ways that would cause any normal man to have the mother of all nosebleeds. Despite her panting and disheveled appearance, the assassin had never felt more energized. That night was going to be a special one.

The fact that she and her companion would have as close to a front row seat to the carnage as she could get made Kimiko a very happy woman.

"Ara, ara," she called out into the darkness of her condo, "you really know how to treat a girl when she tells you someone you hate is about to die soon. I didn't think we'd break in Amagai's old sofa this soon."

"Well, tonight IS a night to celebrate," a deep, masculine voice rang out from the direction of the kitchen, "It's a certain someone's birthday after all. Since we can't be there to wish him well in person, next best thing is to celebrate in spirit, right?"

Kimiko sat up on the sofa as she watched her male companion walking back from the kitchen, two glasses of wine in his hands. He was dressed only in a pair of boxers, and also covered in sweat. Like Kimiko, however, he was far from exhausted.

The red-headed woman smirked, "Sometimes I really wonder about that sadistic streak you and _boya_ seem to share…although I would say he's far more violent. You…you just like tying me up and making me your own _personal little kunoich_i."

The man blushed heavily, sitting down next to her and placing the wine glasses on the coffee table in front of them, before planting a kiss on her lips, "Hush woman, unless you want me to slip the kid a video e-mail showing him your little spanking fetish?"

"Oh fine, fine," Kimiko surrendered, "Although if anything, it would probably give him nightmares…or ideas for what to do with a lucky girl someday…"

"And people say I'm shameless," the man quipped before taking the remote on the coffee table in front of them and switching on the large flat-screen TV, the image displaying what looked to be an extravagant private suite somewhere, "Anyway, looks like the bug worked. We have complete access to all the camera feed coming from that bastard's club. Idiot should've known better than to leave so many back doors into his network. I swear, kids and their need to record everything these days."

Kimiko giggled before shifting herself onto the man's lap, the man's blush intensifying when he felt the heat from her uncovered mound on top of his thinly covered manhood, "Well aren't you a little cyber-ninja in the making…although with all this trouble you've been stirring with the Tachibana, you'll either need to find a powerful ally or I'll have to teach you to defend yourself from their assassins. You can't stay hidden like this forever, after all…"

The man grunted, "I know, I know. I didn't plan on it. Matter of fact, I figured once the three stooges were gone, I'd pay the kid a visit myself."

"Is that right?" Kimiko asked before reaching over and grabbing the wine glasses, making sure her yukata slipped a bit and showed her lover a tantalizing view of her luscious breasts, "Now there's something to toast to."

Taking one wine glass from his paramour, the man leaned back with the woman in his lap and settled in as the time grew closer to the beginning of their entertainment. Feeling unusually giddy, the hacker began to whisper a song under his breath.

_"Happy Birthday to you…"_

* * *

"Himura-kun! Good to see you came on time for once!" came the booming voice of _Tensai_'s head chef as he spotted the bashful redhead walking towards him, "Are you all set?!"

Keitaro, once again disguised as Tenchi, lifted up his large duffel bag with a wide grin, "Got everything I need in here, Sempai. I just wanted to get a head start since some of these dishes take quite a while to prepare."

Nodding, the burly man clapped the younger chef on the shoulder before guiding him into the club. Once they made their way downstairs, Keitaro's ears were immediately assailed by the booming bass and electric synths coming from the many speakers surrounding the dance floor. As the kitchen was on the other side, the two chefs meandered through the already sizeable crowd. The disguised avenger barely noticed the lack of space, expertly weaving around the party-goers as if he were a ghost.

Right as the two made it to the door leading to the kitchens, a roar erupted from the crowd. Turning his head to the front of the room, the Mononobe heir spotted the source of everyone's excitement pretty quickly.

"WHAT'S UP PARTY PEOPLE!" Ranmaru, dressed in white slacks and matching blazer with an unbuttoned red shirt greeted the crowd from the balcony above the dance floor, "On behalf of my brothers who can't be here tonight cuz they're lame, thanks for coming out to celebrate the grand occasion that is our birthday! KANPAI!"

The obnoxious youth ended by taking two bottles of champagne and shaking them vigorously until the corks popped off, the golden liquid inside shooting out like geysers and raining down onto the lively crowd below.

"Looks like he's all fired up for tonight!" the head chef chuckled before opening the door to the kitchen and heading inside, "It's gonna be one hell of a time!"

"_Happy Birthday to you..."_

'_Indeed it will...__'_ Keitaro thought with a small grin as he watched his target retreat from the balcony back to his private lounge. He followed his sempai into the kitchen and placed his bag down at the work station. For the next two hours, the disguised chef meticulously prepared his dishes for the Tachibana and his private party, checking the level of spices and herbs to ensure the best flavors. By the time he had finished, it was half past eleven, giving him thirty minutes exactly until it was officially Ranmaru's birthday.

'_Alright, just in time,' _he noted as he placed the last of the dishes on the cart. Moving the tarp that covered the bottom tray of the cart, he spied _Ginokami_ hiding between a few more dishes, as well as the device he'd received from Kishimoto the previous day. Right when he put the tarp back into place, the head chef burst back into the kitchen and pointed at him, "Heads up, gaki! Ranmaru-sama just made the call! It's show time!"

The excited older man turned away with a grin, missing the hateful grin that slowly formed on the faux-redhead's face.

'_Yea…show time…'_

* * *

"Ranmaru-sama~, where's dinner? We're so famished~"

The boy with the bonfire-looking hair laughed in his seat as he pulled a rather voluptuous brunette by her waist closer and planted several kisses on her neck, eliciting a moan of pleasure from her full red lips, "Don't worry babe, I just made the call. He should be up here any minute."

Ranmaru looked around the spacious private suite and grinned. His brothers had opted out of coming, not wanting to draw a bigger target on their heads by being so vulnerable out in the open. The youngest triplet mentally scoffed at their concerns, eyeing the thirty body guards he had littered throughout the private suite. So confident in the security in the club and the room, some of them had even decided to indulge themselves in the celebration, mingling with the many beautiful girls and slamming down shots of expensive liquor.

'_Tch…Riki-nii and Ichi-nii are fucking cowards,'_ he smirked as he ran his hand along his "date's" soft, slender leg, slowly inching it up her skimpy looking skirt and teasing her special place, _'This whole club is my fortress. I'd love to see some up-start assassin try anything here.'_

"Ah! R-R-Ranmaru-sama~…n-not t-there…w-we're in public…!"

"What's the matter?" he asked his blushing companion, the woman's breathing starting to pick up as he continued his 'game', "You look you're burning up."

Her moans continued, stroking the young man's ego even more. Before he could take things up a notch, however, one of the guards came up to his seat and kneeled in front of him, "Tachibana-sama, the chef has arrived with dinner. Should we let him in?"

Ranmaru ceased his ministrations on the girl and rose from his seat excitedly, "Are you kidding me? Open the door and let him in! We're fucking starving over here!"

Nodding in assent, the bodyguard motioned to the two by the door to open it. Seconds later, a large cart filled with exotic looking dishes and additional drinks was wheeled in by a chef wearing a slightly bulky chef's smock and, oddly enough, a white hakama and sandals. His wild red hair was covered by a white scarf while a similarly colored mask obscured his face, leaving only his steel grey eyes visible. A small red stain on the shoulder stood out, but Ranmaru thought nothing of it, assuming it was from the kitchen.

"Apologies for the delay," the chef began in a low baritone voice, "It took me a while to figure out how to fit the cart in the elevator."

"No worries man, I've been meaning to get that elevator replaced with a bigger one soon anyway," Ranmaru waved the man off before sitting back down on his throne-like chair, "You can take the food and set it on the table on the side. Boys! Help him out!"

Several of the bodyguards moved to the cart and began taking the dishes off, inspecting under the plates for any potential foul play. Meanwhile, Keitaro inconspicuously examined the room. The private suite was actually on the top floor of the building, with a large one-sided window that allowed the occupants to view the outside. It wasn't much of a view since _Tensai_ was only three floors, but he cared little for that. The suite itself was pretty big, maybe three times the size of the living room at Hinata-sou. Currently, his target had thirty bodyguards littered around the room; all of them heavily armed with an assortment of weapons, from assault rifles to concealed pistols. He even spotted a few with wakizashis strapped to their waists. However, Ranmaru himself wasn't armed, the boy having placed all of his confidence in his security force to protect him and his 'harem'.

'…_son of a bitch is gonna make this way too easy,'_ Keitaro thought as he helped one of the guards move a particularly large dish from the cart to the table, _'I should assume some of the girls in the harem are armed as well…just in case.'_

When the last dish was placed, Keitaro looked up at the digital clock in the room, the display reading 'March 31, 11:58:29.'

"Hey chef-kun!" the avenger was torn from his mental preparations by his target, the boy flashing a cocky grin his way, "I'm looking forward to this spread! Your demo dishes were kick ass!"

"I am honored by your praise, Tachibana-sama," the disguised chef bowed humbly, while mentally restraining his disgust at having to appeal to the younger man, "I can only hope tonight's dishes leave a good impression on you."

Ranmaru chuckled, "If they're anything like the ones you made before, I just might steal ya from here and put you to work at the compound. The rest of the clan would be eating out of the palm of your hands."

Suddenly, a chime rang throughout the suite, causing everyone to glance up at the clock. Smiles came to the assembled group's faces as they read the time.

**April 1, 00:00:02**

"_TANJOUBI OMEDETOU, RANMARU-SAMA!"_ the collective shout came like a tsunami, everyone clapping and heaping cheers and praises upon the boy, who drank it all in as if he were some deity. No one noticed Keitaro slowly moving towards the door and locking it, or how he positioned himself right in front of the cart. As the noise died down, the disguised chef nodded towards the birthday boy, grabbing his attention.

"_Tanjoubi Omedetou, _Tachibana-sama," he said before kneeling down and reaching into the cart. Ranmaru, thinking he was about to receive an additional gift from the chef, beamed at him. As he took his seat and prepared to be amazed by whatever it is the chef was pulling out, he heard the white-garbed cook mumble something, "What was that, chef-kun? You say something?"

He never saw the triumphant smirk that slid onto the avenger's face.

"_Happy Birthday dear Ranmaru…"_

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud. By the way-"

Before he finished, Keitaro quickly whirled back around and flung something at Ranmaru. The Tachibana barely had time to blink before an excruciating and sharp pain tore from his legs. His screams of agony rose a pitch when he looked down and saw two kunai buried into his kneecaps. Smiles turned to screams of horror before everyone turned back in shock to face the perpetrator. Keitaro's reply was a cold grin that froze the room.

"…Surprise."

The avenger reached into his smock shirt and threw several black pellets that released a thick cloud of white gas, instantly filling the suite. Within seconds, everyone in the room except Ranmaru were overcome.

"What the hell is this smoke?!"

"Shit! It's some kinda knockout gas! Don't…breathe…"

"I…can't…move…Ranmaru-sama…help…us…"

Ranmaru could only sit paralyzed in his seat as the voices began to die down, until finally the room was deathly silent. The sound of a vent turning on averted the wounded boy's attention as he watched the strange gas get filtered into the ceiling, revealing his entire contingent of guards and his 'harem' lying on the ground motionless.

"There…now we can continue without any interruptions," the disguised Keitaro quipped as he walked back to his immobile target, taking care not to step on any of the unconscious bodies on the ground. Seeing this, the panicking Tachibana tried to lift himself from the chair he'd fallen into when the kunai struck his knees, only to realize he couldn't lift a finger.

"What the fuck!? I-I can't move! What the hell did you do to me, you f-fucking psycho?!"

The avenger removed his facemask and smirked, "Oh…you mean the paralysis? Those kunai were coated with a special toxin that suppresses the muscular system without hampering your nerves. Meaning that while you can't move anything below the neck, you can still feel."

Keitaro gripped one of the kunai in Ranmaru's knees and harshly pulled it out, the boy screaming in agony, before using it to slice his target's suit down the middle and exposing him to the elements. Reaching into his gi, the avenger pulled out the metallic sphere he'd received from Kishimoto, "Don't worry, the kunai were just to keep you from going anywhere. _This_ is your _real_ present."

Ranmaru watched on, his body shivering in fear, "W-W-What the hell is that thing?!"

Keitaro pulled on three nubs on the sphere's surface, making a set of tripod legs, and carefully stood it above the boy's crotch, "It's a special device I had crafted just for this occasion. See…I've done quite a bit of research into you…and into the company you keep. I know the things you've done, and the crimes you've gotten away with."

The faux-red haired assassin glared into Ranmaru's eyes, the immeasurable hatred in them almost causing the boy to wet his pants, "The main reason I'm killing all of you Tachibana asswipes is because of what one of yours did to my clan…to my family. But you…you're a bit of a special case."

Keitaro turned a knob on the side of the sphere, turning the pulsing orange light into a steady red, "I know what you did to Riika Tachibana and her mother…and I know of what you _tried_ to do to Mei Narusegawa. That one was the last straw…see, initially I was planning to kill you quickly, but after hearing about that last victim of yours...well now I can't just let you die without suffering for your sins."

The avenger rose to his full height and stepped back a bit, with Ranmaru's alarmed gaze following his every move, "That sphere standing over you…is a two-stage bomb. The first stage will expel a weaponized chemical powder throughout the room…starting with you at the center. Tell me…are you familiar with the name 'Willie Pete'?"

Ranmaru slowly shook his head, "N-N-No…never heard that stupid name before! T-The fuck does that have to do with anything?!"

"…how about 'White Phosphorus'?"

THAT got the trapped boy's heart pounding, as evidenced by the quick widening of his eyes and his breathing becoming more erratic, "W-W-What the fuck?! That shit's illegal!"

"You say that as if I care about laws," Keitaro replied airily before continuing, "In any case, you seem to know very well what this chemical is, so I'm sure you know what it can do to exposed skin."

Ranmaru began moving his head back rapidly from side to side, in a poor attempt to get his body to fling the sphere off of him, "YOU'RE A FUCKING MONSTER! YOU THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH THIS BULLSHIT?! WAIT TIL MY BROTHERS FIND OUT, THEY'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND PUT YOUR ASS DOWN LIKE THE FUCKING PEASANT YOU ARE!"

"…that's what I'm counting on, fool..." the Mononobe heir turned to walk away, but gave one final glance over his shoulder, "The second stage of the bomb will ignite the powder in the room, blowing away whatever's left of you and this whole floor. You have five minutes to reflect on your sins."

Keitaro slowly walked towards the door, ignoring the hysterical screams for mercy coming from a boy who had just realized he was about to die a gruesome death. As he put his hand to the knob, the false chef paused and spoke his final piece, "Normally, this is the part where I tell you that if you want to blame someone for your death, then you can blame Kurotora when you see him in hell…"

Ranmaru quieted for a moment, tears streaming down his face, "K-K-Kurotora?"

"…but this time," Keitaro continued, ignoring the red-head, "you both share the blame for this. See you in hell…Tachibana-teme."

The paralyzed Tachibana could only watch on in terror as the assassin calmly left the room, before looking down at the timer, "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-NO-NO-NOOOOO! GET ME OUTTA HERE! SOMEONE! ANYONE! GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE! I DON'T WANNA DIE! PLEASE!"

When the timer hit zero, a small port at the bottom of the sphere opened, releasing a small stream of the deadly white powder right onto Ranmaru's exposed crotch. The boy let out an inhumanly loud wail as the horrific burning sensation set in, the powder slowly destroying what made him a man. Two more ports then opened on the sides of the sphere, rapidly expelling more of the powdered agent and covering the trapped boy from head to toe.

From that moment until his dying breath, Ranmaru Tachibana knew nothing but pain.

* * *

Keitaro had just entered the elevator when he heard the howls of pain coming from the suite. He lazily glanced back to the room, ignoring the bodies of the bodyguards he'd killed in the hallway on his way to the room, before pressing the down button. After reaching the ground floor, the assassin immediately pulled on the fire-alarm next to the door and ran out towards the dance floor.

"FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE UPSTAIRS! EVERYONE EVACUATE THE BUILDING, NOW!" he shouted frantically. The blasting music had ceased once the shrill screech of the alarms started echoing throughout the building. With the false chef's warning, the party goers immediately stampeded to the doors in a panic, the guards soon getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.

"Team Two! Evacuate Ranmaru-sama from the suite immediately!" one guard yelled on his earpiece radio, trying in vain to navigate to the stairs through the rushing crowd, "Team Two! Respond!"

Keitaro almost laughed when he overheard the frantic calls of the guards as they attempted to contact their teams, choosing instead to blend with the crowd and allow the surge of people to push him right out the front door. Once outside, he melded with a large group of party goers across the street. Everyone around him was frantic, with some trying to spot any smoke from the 'fire' upstairs.

'_Shouldn't be too much longer,'_ he thought as he checked the clock on his phone. Seconds later, a violent explosion tore the entire top floor of the building apart, the people below screaming as glass and debris rained down from above.

"HOLY SHIT! THE WHOLE TOP FLOOR JUST BLEW UP!"

"THAT WAS THE PRIVATE SUITE! WHERE'S RANMARU-SAMA?!"

"TEAM TWO, COME IN! COME IN DAMN IT!"

All around the assassin, people were breaking down into a panic as sirens blared from incoming fire trucks and emergency personnel. Keitaro ignored all of it, however, as he stared up at his handiwork with a small, bone-chilling smile.

'…_One brother down…two to go…'_ he thought as the police arrived and began cordoning off the area for the firefighters to start attacking the blaze that was trying to consume the rest of the building.

"Everyone back away! It's too dangerous to stay here!" one officer yelled while he and a few others forced the crowd away. Just as Keitaro moved to leave, he was distracted by the sight of two familiar boys running up and trying to bypass the officers.

"RAN! RANMARU! WHERE THE HELL IS MY BROTHER, DAMMIT?!" Rikimaru yelled at the officers as he tried to push his way past them, "THAT EXPLOSION CAME FROM THE PRIVATE SUITE DIDN'T IT?! WHERE THE HELL IS OUR BROTHER?!"

The officer did his best to calm the frantic boy down, "M-M-My apologies, Tachibana-sama! We haven't located him yet!"

"Then look harder," Ichimaru growled, "he's gotta be somewhere in this crowd! Now go find him before we get even more pissed off!"

The officer saluted shakily before motioning to three of his colleagues to search the crowd, "You heard them! All of you start your search in the crowd over there, and don't come back until you've found him!"

The officers nodded and quickly got to work, while Rikimaru and Ichimaru sprinted into the crowd and began a search of their own. In their haste to look for their missing brother, neither of them noticed a red-haired chef inconspicuously walking out of the crowd and down the road, or how he laughed to himself as he glanced back and admired the bright red-orange flames that would burn long into the night.

"..._Happy Birthday to you."_

* * *

**Author's Note - **It finally happened. One of the triplets has met his end at the hands of Keitaro. The others will be soon to follow

Apologies again for the long delay. It's been a very rough few months and it doesn't look like things will get any easier, but I won't let that stop me from getting my material out for you all. If you're still with me despite taking so long, then you have my unbridled gratitude.

Next chapter will be up after the new year, so happy holidays to you all. Things are about to heat up a bit for the Tachibana clan (no pun intended)

Ciph signin' off


End file.
